


Sanctuary (Karma Akabane x OC)

by Momosuki



Category: Assassination Classroom
Genre: Action & Romance, Angst and Romance, Canon - Anime, Dark, Drama & Romance, Eventual Romance, F/M, Fanfiction, Light Sadism, Love Confessions, Love Triangles, Original Character(s), Romance, Romantic Comedy, Sad, Slow Romance, Teen Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-17
Updated: 2020-11-22
Packaged: 2021-03-04 07:22:21
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 64
Words: 123,319
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24769978
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Momosuki/pseuds/Momosuki
Summary: Assassination Classroom Fanfic ☾ENTER: Sakame Katsuna, a second to top student at Kunugigaoka Junior High School but a certain chain of events landed her in Class 3-E.Training to become an assassin in order to kill her teacher was not on the list of things she planned for her third year.With danger at every turn and a crimson haired boy hot on her trail of secrets, can Katsuna save herself from her destiny of despair?⟶ Ongoing ⟵「 New Updates 」MondayFeel free to hop on over to my Wattpad!Link: https://www.wattpad.com/story/223803451-sanctuary-karma-akabane-x-ocI usually post the chapters quicker on there, plus, there's little authors notes, gifs and pictures for a little more visual! The editing version is also on Wattpad if you'd like to read without all the grammatical errors xx
Relationships: Akabane Karma/Original Character(s)
Comments: 15
Kudos: 94





	1. Enter: Sakame Katsuna

" I know this answer.. if I subtract the x from that numerical equation, I can solve what y would be anddd... presto!" 

It was 2 weeks into the third school year at Kunugigaoka Junior High School and Sakame Katsuna had passed last years finals with one of the highest scores in the school. Due to this, she had kept her place in Class 3-A for her third and final year, continuing working alongside Asano and the big five to train her peers. 

She'd never had trouble studying, on the contrary, enjoying it as much as watching a favorite tv show. The feeling of pursuing an answer really got her blood pumping. 

The girl with golden-green eyes tucked her black locks behind her ear as she concentrated hard on her math paper. It was her favorite subject, everything just seemed to fall into place once you had the right formula. She found that other subjects seemed to waffle on, creating a long journey until they finally got down to the point. 

Math, on the other hand, was quick and simple. 

She smiled to herself, her pencil blitzing through the questions with ease. 

"Now, if I had to guess, this question would need the this formula.." Katsuna thought, beginning to once again write down her answer. 

Just then, her paper was snatched from above her, the hand moving like a snake pouncing on its prey. 

"Hmmm, you've answered wrong on the last one," a voice commented, making the girl groan in annoyance, "As per usual, you depend too much on that formula." 

"Just give it back Asano," she sighed, holding her hand up, "I don't care what you have to say, I'll do this on my own, without the help from the likes of you." 

"Not until you say the magical word," Asano smirked, ignoring her last comment.

"You know that's not going to happen," Katsuna murmured, before jumping out of her seat like lightning and grabbing the test back. 

Asano's eyes widened in surprise, grinning wildly, "You're just as quick as ever." 

"And you're just as annoying as ever," she retorted, packing up her utensils into her bag. 

"There you go again," he sniggered, "Only Sakame Katsuna would ever dare insult the student council president, not to mention number one student at Kunugigaoka Junior High School!"

"Oh get over yourself Asano," Katsuna snorted, walking towards the library doors in a fast pace. 

Asano followed, quick to match the girl's speed. 

Katsuna sighed, his presence rapidly becoming a nuisance to her mental health. 

"I don't have time for you right now," she grunted, "I'm already late to the cafeteria as it is." 

"Well then let me help you out," he replied, desperately trying to find an excuse to stay with her.

"I don't need you to help 'part the sea' of students," Katsuna answered, "It makes me look like a complete idiot, I'm fine queuing." 

The two finally reached the cafeteria, the place booming with the chatter of students. Each person had a textbook beside them, eating as they studied, in an attempt to keep their grades up. 

"Anything to keep them from dropping into Class 3-E I suppose," the girl muttered, joining the line of students waiting for their food. 

"Move." 

Asano's voice startled the person in front of them in the queue, the student looking up in silence as he met eyes with the upper class men. 

"O-of course.." the boy squealed, trembling under Asano's menacing gaze. 

Katsuna rubbed her temples in embarrassment as the pair swiftly made their way to the front of the queue. She knew the effect Asano had on the students here at her school. He was highly respected amongst his peers for his level of control, second to the principal himself. Even the teachers feared the boy's existence, afraid of doing something wrong that might get them fired. 

Asano was not someone who you played around with. 

Katsuna, however, viewed the boy only as an inconvenience. She had gained his interest back in first year when she scored second highest in her elementary finals, Asano being first of course. The boy had been trained by his father all his life to become an established knowledgeable individual, so there was no wonder why he was now top of his class in just about everything. 

Asano had begun spending more and more time with the girl, acknowledging her interests and hobbies, not to mention her intellectual skills. He believed it was fate that she had been drawn to him and had made it his mission to keep a close eye on her. 

Katsuna, on the other hand, couldn't despise the boy more. She had been able to successfully avoid him all day, up until this moment. 

Cursing quietly at her misfortune, she bought her lunch and began searching for a place to sit. Asano accompanied her, viewing the problem with a snide grin. He strode off to closest table near them, filled with students munching on their food. They looked up at, sensing the boy's intense glare and swiftly scurried away, receiving the message clearly. 

Asano looked back to where Katsuna was still standing, smirking as he sat down at the now empty table. 

The girl huffed, scanning the cafeteria for even one other empty seat, but to no avail. She grumbled quietly to herself before reluctantly making her way over to the table where Asano was perched. 

"I told you not to do that," she scowled, sipping on her chocolate milk in displeasure. 

Even the sweet liquid wasn't brightening up her mood. 

"Well we wouldn't have been able to sit down otherwise, so be **grateful** ," Asano shot, his playful mood suddenly turning sour. 

Katsuna ignored his cold remark. She knew Asano could be jerk sometimes but over the years, she began to notice the boy's true possessive nature and passion for control. Knowing she'd over stepped her amount of insults, she sat in silence, glaring down at her food. The tension between the two only began to grow as the meal went on, the food beginning taste like cardboard. 

Asano grunted, staring intensely at the girl in front of him. He stopped chewing, putting down his chopsticks before finally saying something.

"As you know, this is our final year at Kunugigaoka," he started, his tone becoming much more like a teacher lecturing a class. 

Katsuna hated it when he talked like this, as if she was a child and he of some sort of authority, but it would cause a scene if she spoke up about it. 

"May I remind you that this is a crucial time to keep your grades up," the boy continued. 

"Of course it's about grades," Katsuna muttered. It's the only thing he cared about apart from himself of course. 

"Look what I'm trying to say is keep doing what you're doing..." Asano sighed, unable to get his true feelings across. 

"Right.." Katsuna grumbled, chewing her piece of chicken awkwardly.

"Katsuna I-"

"Can Sakame Katsuna please come to the principal's office, that's Sakame Katsuna to the principal's office."

"Curse that old man.." Asano spat, "What did you do anyway?"

"I'm just as surprised as you," she replied, removing herself from the table, "It's probably something to do with you if anything." 

Asano shrugged his shoulders, before following suit and escorting the girl out of the cafeteria. 

"I don't need you to lead me around like a dog," Katsuna complained, speeding up her pace. 

"Whatever," Asano replied, matching her pace, "I want to know what's going on."

The two finally arrived at the office doors, neither daring to open them unless commanded too. 

The wait was unbearable.

The principal had a common method were he would a while before finally speaking to someone to demonstrate a form of authority. 

"Like father like son," Katsuna uttered under her breath. 

Only the principal was worse than Asano. 

Rumours about the man being heavily involved in the black market, mafia groups and government aristocrats had sparked around the school like wildfire ever since Katsuna arrived there. 

She wouldn't be surprised if they were all true knowing how his son came out. 

Glancing up at the boy beside her, she noticed he was biting down on his finger hard, a habit he was never able to get out of ever since she'd known him. 

It indicated a sense of nervousness, and it only appeared when the situation involved his father.

As much as Katsuna despised the boy, she did pity him for this. Had he of had a different father, maybe things wouldn't have turned out like this. 

"You may enter now." 

The voice made both students freeze up as it boomed through the door. 

Katsuna gulped, swallowing her feeling to run away and with every bit of courage she could muster, pushed the door open. 


	2. An Unexpected Offer

_"You may enter now."_

_The voice made both students freeze up as it boomed through the door._

_Katsuna gulped, swallowing her feeling to run away and with every bit of courage she could muster, pushed the door open._

~~~~~~~~~

Upon entering the room, Katsuna began to find it hard to breathe, the hairs on her the back of her neck standing up. 

The sound of her heart beat pounded in her ears, deafening the noises from the outside. Her mind told her to run, but she was rooted to her position, her muscles unable to respond.

Suddenly, she felt a slight push on her back, snapping her back to reality. Katsuna glanced behind her, her eyes wide like a startled deer in headlights. Asano gave her a small nervous grin, silently encouraging her to step up. 

Taking a deep breathe, Katsuna shuffled reluctantly towards the front desk, the only light guiding her way coming from the open-pan windows. She could just make out the principal's chair as he sat turned away from her. 

"Welcome." 

The principal's voice crawled like insects in her ear, their tiny legs scurrying inside her head. Katsuna knew it was just her mind playing tricks on her, but she didn't dare look away from the floor. 

"Asano, I don't remember asking for your presence." 

The principal's voice was tinged with displeasure, making his son grit his teeth in annoyance. 

"I purely came so I could listen in on your conversation with Miss Sakame, I don't see-"

"Like I said," Principal Asano cut him off sharply, "I don't remember asking for your presence." 

Asano squeezed his fists in rage, before abruptly turning away and marching back to the door, slamming it behind him as he exited the room. 

"He's always been a live wire that one," the principal commented, referring to his son's attitude. 

He swiveled to the side in his chair, facing Katsuna as he continued, "I asked for your presence here today to discuss a certain deal that I know will peak your interest." 

Katsuna looked up, meeting the principal's cold gaze in surprise. A deal?

"I hear it's been confirmed your father is being released from jail next month." 

The remark made the girl's stomach churn. She'd buried the thought deep within herself, refusing to acknowledge its level of importance. 

It wasn't surprising that her principal knew this information. She'd known from pass experience that he makes it his personal hobby to collect data that might be useful to him from those him or his family is close too, this including Katsuna.

"From your response, I gather you aren't too happy about this affair," Principal Asano stated, a long sinister smile stretching across his features.

"I'd like to propose a deal. If you help me out in my affairs, I'll pull some strings to help you in yours." 

Katsuna was stunned at the principal's offer. 

_Could he really do something like that?_

However, she wasn't as naive as people thought. 

"Sir, if I may, I have a couple of questions regarding your offer," she started, watching as the principal's eyebrows shot up. 

"Go ahead," he replied, crossing his arms and leaning back into his chair.

"First and foremost, I need proof that you have the power to support your claim," she expressed, "And secondly, I need you to specify your 'needs' in detail before I agree to anything." 

"Consider the first one done, you'll receive the news as soon as tomorrow morning," Principal Asano affirmed, "For the second one, it's a simple job. I need you to spy on Class 3-E for me." 

Katsuna's eyes widened at the request, jolted its unexpectancy. 

"About college's not wanting to take you, I'll see to it that this is kept off your permanent record so there should be no issues," he continued, his hands gesturing to the documents scattered on his desk. 

"Sorry Sir, but to spy?" Katsuna interjected, confused by his wording. 

"Yes, to spy. I need to be kept up to date with their antics. You'll understand once you arrive there tomorrow, that's if you agree with my deal." 

"But why choose me?" Katsuna questioned, "Why not send Asano or one of the other big five members?" 

"For that simple fact, the big five and my son play a particularly important role here at Kunugigaoka," Principal Asano explained, "You however, do not."

"I understand you are the second to top student at this establishment, which is precisely why I picked you. You are highly intelligent and athletic, so I can trust you to make good on the information you bring back." 

Katsuna nodded slowly, finally grasping on the full idea the principal had planned out, but there was still one factor that still remained unsolved. 

"How do I know I can trust you?" she challenged, meeting the eye of her principal.

He grinned, intertwining his fingers on the desk before responding. 

"As long as you fill out your end of the bargain, you can trust me," he began.

"However, if I find out your information is inaccurate or if any circumstances may occur that you fail mention in your report," he cut off, his eyes trained on the girl like a viper ready for attack. 

"I will end this offer in less than a second." 

Katsuna nodded abruptly, receiving the threat clearly. She ignored the feeling of dread that slowly began to creep up inside of her stomach before turning to leave the office. 

"One more thing," the man spoke, his voice wrapping around Katsuna's legs like poisonous vines. 

"Say Hello to your mother from me." 

~~~~~~~~

After exiting the office, Katsuna collapsed to the floor in despair. The mention of her mother threatened to bring back the cold memories she'd submerged long ago. She held her head in her hands, wishing they would stop shaking, as she attempted to control her breathing. 

"That bad huh.." Asano mumbled under his breath.

He'd been standing outside the doors of the office, impatiently waiting for the discussion to finish. He peered down grimly at the girl who was crouched on the floor below. Giving her a minute to collect herself, he stared at the wall opposite them. His thoughts wandered, recalling the dismal memories of his past with his father. 

He, of all people, understood the pressure he could inflict on another person. 

After a moment, Katsuna straighten up, her hands finally beginning to settle down. She wiped her hands down on her uniform, squeezing her eyes shut for a second as she let the rest of her pain wash away like water down a sink. 

She began to walk away but not before Asano grabbed onto her hand lightly. She stopped in her movements, tirely looking back at the boy. 

"What happened?" he questioned, his eyes clouded with curiosity.

"Let go Asano," Katsuna whispered, too exhausted to explain her situation. 

"Not before you tell me what's going on," Asano pushed, "What did he say?" 

"I said let go!" Katsuna shouted, pulling away from Asano in a hast. 

She watched as Asano's eyes widened, taken back up her raised voice. Katsuna took this opportunity to run away from the boy, leaving him in a state of confusion and anger. 

She didn't dare look back.


	3. Welcome to Class 3-E

It was the day after her meeting with Principal Asano when Katsuna found herself wandering up the mountain towards where Class 3-E was located. The building itself reflected the segregated policy perfectly, with several windows boarded up and the roof littered with gaps which would undoubtedly cause leaks when it rained. 

"Sakame Katsuna I presume?" 

A man dressed in a black suit with a white shirt stood in front of the entrance of the wooden building. He had black shot-back hair with a sharp face to match. He reminded Katsuna of a security guard and was especially taken back by his blunt way of speaking. 

"Err yes sir," she replied. 

"Good, come with me please, there are a few things we need to address before you can join the rest of your class," he explained, before turning and entering the building.

"Um.. okay," Katsuna mumbled, following the man inside. 

Upon walking inside, Katsuna noticed how ancient everything looked. As if she'd gone back into time to the middle ages, 80% of everything was made out of wood. A mixture of dust and cobwebs was scattered in every corner, causing Katsuna to cringe in displeasure. 

She followed the man into a room labelled "Faculty Lounge" and sat down on one of the wooden chairs beside a desk. The man took the seat in front of her and began typing on his computer. Katsuna assumed he was looking up her files and took the chance to look around the office. Once again, mostly everything was made out of wood, however there were a few plants here and there, which spiced up the area a little. 

"Right, before I start, please know that you are completely safe in this area and if you have any questions, please wait until I have finished speaking." the man stated. 

"I understand?" Katsuna replied wearily, unsure of what could possibly bring up this sort of talk. 

"My name is Tadaomi Karasuma and I am an agent sent from Japan's Ministry of Defence to supervise this class. To you, I am an assistant teacher and physical educator for Class 3-E." Karasuma began. 

Katsuna's eyes widen at this, surprised and curious as to why someone from Japan's Ministry of Defence has come to this classroom. 

Had things gotten so bad that the class has to have some sort of professional assistance to help protect the students from threats of others? 

But what could have happened for it to come to that? 

Was that why the principal wanted her to act as an informant?? 

Were terrorists involved? 

Was the army involved?! 

ARE THEY HIDING TANKS ON SCHOOL GROUNDS?!

"....and that's why I'm here to supervise Class 3-E, so the "alien" sticks to his agreement and so forth." Karasuma continued. "Any questions?" 

_Crap._

"Haha..." Katsuna laughed jokingly, placing a hand behind her head, "Could you repeat everything?" 

Karasuma sighed, rubbing his forehead as his headache began to rise. 

"Please listen to me, this is extremely important," he huffed, closing his eyes until the pain subsided. 

Katsuna bowed, her hands pressed together in embarrassment as the man continued. 

"What I'm about to tell you is highly classified," Karasuma sighed, "I'm not at liberty to discuss the details of this situation but remember when the mood became a permanent crescent?"

Katsuna remembered the incident like it was yesterday. It was the only thing news reporters were talking about, discussing what it could possibly mean for humanity but as the weeks drove on, the news dimmed down a little and the moon being a crescent became something that everyone had just accepted. 

"The cause of that destruction was down to an unknown destructive lifeform," Karasuma stated, his voice becoming more serious with every word.

"Under some circumstances that even I can't comprehend, this same unknown life form has chosen to become a teacher, of all things, at Kunugigaoka Junior High School, setting his sights on Class 3-E."

"He has signed a deal to say that he will not hurt anyone of these students whilst being a teacher here, so don't be alarmed."

"We need this class to be able to kill this being for the sake of mankind as he has made a statement declaring that he'll to destroy the earth, like he did the moon, this coming March."

Katsuna's mouth gaped open, not believing the words coming out of his mouth. 

"Apart from you, the only people who know this information are world leaders and the rest of the class. If word of this leaks out to the public, we'll have world spread panic on our hands," Karasuma paused before making direct eye contact with Katsuna, 

"It'll be chaos."

Katsuna gulped, not fully comprehending the information being given to her but accepting it as a fact nevertheless. 

"So this is what he meant," she thought to herself, reflecting on yesterday's conversation.

"This means that you and the rest of classroom 3-E, must become assassins!" he said with complete seriousness. 

"I must say that he is incredibly fast, clocking at mach 20, and for some reason he likes grooming eyebrows.. immaculately" Karasuma sighed, grimacing on the memory. "I world where he is allowed to live, is a world that will be inevitably destroyed, do you understand?"

Katsuna nodded, her curiosity spiked by the manner of high level of intensity Karasuma-sensei was speaking in. She wondered what this incredible being looked and acted like. And to be made an assassin..... she wheezed with excitement, like the same sort of feeling when reading a really good action scene in a manga. 

She began to think that she had received more out of the deal with the principal than she bargained for.

"Do you agree to join the class in their assassination attempts? If not, you'll have to be slapped with a gag order, and have to fill out all these awful documents stating that you'll never speak of thi-"

"I'll do it." Katsuna declared, her eyes fierce with confidence. 

It's not like she had a choice anyway.

"If that's your final decision, let's go meet your fellow peers," he said, finishing up typing on his computer and standing up from his seat. 

As the pair made their way down the corridor, Katsuna heard the someone shout, 

"Ready...Aim.........FIRE!"

As if the whole campus had come under attack, thousands of bullet sounds from what sounded like hundreds of guns started shooting, causing Katsuna, by instinct, to leap at Karasuma-sensei and push him onto the floor with herself on top. The bullets continued to be fired for about 2 more minutes before they finally subsided. Katsuna opened her eyes and lifted the hands of her ears, feeling relief that neither her or Karasuma was hurt. 

"I see you had quick reflexes, " Karasuma commented, removing Katsuna off his body and clambering back to his feet, "But please refrain from jumping on your teachers."

"Ahh I'm sorry Karasuma-sensei, I thought we were being shot at so I jumped at you to try and cover you," explained Katsuna, bowing at the man in front of her in embarrassment.

Karasuma sighed, once again rubbing his head with his fingers before stating, "It's fine, just come along." 

Katsuna followed Karasuma-sensei to a door on the left and side of the hallway. 

"Wait here, I'll make the announcement to the class," Karasuma said, opening the door and entering the room. 

Katsuna readied herself for the next obstacle. 

"Students, we have a new student joining us today, she has been informed of the current situation and has agreed to help in the assassination attempts for the next year." Karasuma explained to the class, "Please come in."

As Katsuna entered the room, she felt the stares of her fellow classmates, but paid no mind as her focus was drawn to a large yellow octopus dressed in an old fashion teacher's outfit.

Not what she had in mind. 

She observed the octopus for a few more moments, jotting her guess of his height and the amount of visible tentacles he seemed to display. Grinning to herself, she turned to face the class, bowing as she introduced herself.

"Hello everyone, my name is Sakame Katsuna and I'll be joining you for the rest of the year," she plastered a smile to her face, "Thanks for having me." 

The girl with black locks turned back to meet the eye of her new teacher. 

"Katsuna, I see," the yellow being smiled before pointing to a seat in the back row with one of his tentacles, "You can sit behind Okuda." 

She made her way over to the new seat, seeing it is as a perfect place to analyse the entire classroom, including her teacher. 

"How interesting," she thought, glancing off to the empty desk beside her. "I wonder who sits there.."


	4. Tereasaka's Attempt

"Pencils down, time for lunch," the octopus declared, his history lesson finally coming to a close. 

Katsuna sighed, glancing at her essay in disappointment.

History was her worst subject and it clearly showed in her work. She just couldn't keep up with all the different dates of all the significant wars that had happened in past.

Looking up from her paper, she noticed the octopus heading towards the side door of the classroom.

"Well adios class, I'm hopping over to China for a hot bowl of noodles," the yellow being said, like it was no big deal, "you have my cell number if your feeling particularly confident in a certain assassination attempt."

His cocky nonchalant attitude was really starting to piss her off.

"CHOW!" he continued, before launching into the sky, creating a strong gust of wind on the ground, knocking down the tables and chairs in the classroom.

"Okay so maths, if he's travelling at mach 20..." a blonde girl stated

"It'll take him 10 minutes top to reach his favourite noodle restaurant..." the blue haired boy continued.

"And just to be clear, we've absolutely ruled out missiles..." the orange haired boy interjected.

"Are you kidding?" a black haired boy responded, turning to his friend, "and even if we had access to that kind of stuff, he can break the sound barrier!"

"While grading!" the blonde girl exclaimed.

"My homework even came back with a drawing on it.." the black haired boy sighed, recalling the memory of his English paper with a octopus drawing.

"All things considered, you kind of have to admit he's not a bad teacher," the blonde girl added.

"I know right!" the orange haired girl responded, "He helped me with Algebra earlier this week and ended up getting all the answer correct on the test he set the day after."

"From what it sounds like, he's a pretty interesting character," Katsuna commented, watching the conversation unfold.

The blue haired boy began to make his way over to Katsuna's desk, a nervous grin on his face, "I'm Nagisa Shiota, nice to meet you."

He reached out his hand and Katsuna shook it, smiling at her new acquaintance.

"It's strange to see you end up here of all places," the blonde girl interjected, making her way over to the pair.

"Oh, I'm Rio Nakamura by the way," she chirped, extending a hand towards the new student.

"How'd you end up in this dump, last time I heard, you were acing second year midterms."

"Yeah, haha, I guess I was," Katsuna faltered, unsure of how to explain the situation to her peers.

She'd never asked the principal for an excuse to respond with when the students asked questions like this. She concluded that he'd left it up to her to fend for herself.

"I just had enough of the continuous pressure I guess," Katsuna lied, forcing a smile to stretch along her mouth. She'd never been massively good at lying, but it seemed her classmates had bought it.

"Yo Nagisa," a brutish voice said, interrupting the conversation, "It's time to put my plan into action, you ready to become a rich man?"

Nagisa looked up to see a boy in with blonde highlights grin down at him, it was Ryoma Terasaka and his two lackeys. He nodded with slight uncertainty before looking back at Katsuna.

"I'll catch you later Katsuna, sorry I couldn't stay and chat longer," Nagisa apologised, walking out the door with Terasaka and his gang following him.

"I wonder what he's planning now," both girls wondered after the door slammed shut.

Katsuna dismissed the thought, standing up from her seat, "I'm going to scope out the area, it'll be nice to get familiar with the surroundings."

"Okay," Rio answered, waving her off as she left the room.

After leaving the campus, Katsuna roamed the landscape, treading past tree after tree. Dark green moss decorated the ground she trod on, leaving large patches of dirt that guided the woodland trail as it weaved around the forest.

Katsuna let her mind wander as she followed the makeshift trail. She wondered about many things.

The circumstances that led her to current position.

The principal's offer to help her.

_Oh I forgot to check for proof._

Katsuna flipped out her phone, and as she guessed there was a single notification. She opened it up, following the link to a news report.

"This just in, Uchibashi Rikumi's release date has just been postponed until further notice. The man sentenced for 12 years for the-"

Katsuna turned her phone off, that's all she needed to hear.

A sense of relief washed over her as the principal stayed true to his word.

That was one thing less to think about.

Upon hearing the school bell, signalling the end of lunch, Katsuna began to make her way back to the old wooden campus.

She would now just need to keep up her end of the bargain.

~~~~~~~~~

"Hoki Doki class!" the teacher chuckled, "Your assignment this afternoon is to compose a short poem, with the final line being **Was Tentacles All Along** ,"

...

......

..........

"EH?" the class chorused.

"Excuse me sensei, _really~_?" a long black haired girl asked, rising her hand.

"Really," he replied, "when you've received the assignment, kindly bring it forward, you will be graded on creativity, grammar and overall beauty of expression!"

As the octopus was detailing an example which made absolutely no sense in the context of things, Katsuna leaned forward in her seat and tapped on Okuda's shoulder to get her attention.

"Does he do this often?" Katsuna questioned, "Like express how much he loves himself pretty much."

Okuda sighed, glancing back at their rambling teacher, "Yes, he's very.. egotistical so to put."

"Interesting..." Katsuna thought, returning her attention back to the front.

"Excuse me sir," Rio chimed, "I was wondering if we could give you a name?"

"I agree," Nagisa commented, "It just seems weird having to call you the yellow alien."

"What about... Koro... Koro-sensei? Yeah, Koro-sensei!" the girl with green eyes exclaimed

"That sounds good Kaede," Nagisa approved, smiling widely, "Koro-sensei!"

"I like it!" Koro-sensei replied in glee, "Now if you don't mind, I'll take a short break whilst you pick up your pens."

Katsuna noticed his face colour start to change to a light pink... "Do I even want to know what that face means?" she pondered in disgust.

Just then, Nagisa stood up and began to make his way quietly over to Koro-sensei. A small snickered came from Katsuna's right side, turning her head out of curiosity to meet Tereaska's grinning face. She turned back to Nagisa, coming to the conclusion that this was the plan he was talking about earlier.

Katsuna continued to watch as the assassination attempt was carried out, however, there was no blood lust to be sensed. In amazement, Nagisa was concealing all of it, eerily calm as he wandered to the front with his book hiding the knife.

All eyes were on Nagisa as he made his move.

Like lightning, Nagisa whipped the book to the side, propelling his knife forward, towards Koro-sensei's head. Just as quick, Koro-sensei reacted, springing into action as he launched his tentacle to grasp hold of Nagisa's arm, faltering the boy's attempt.

"What did I say of thinking outside the box," Koro sensei scolded, grabbing the anti sensei knife with a handkerchief and removing it from Nagisa's hand.

Just when the octopus thought the assassination attempt was done, Nagisa leapt onto him and wrapped his arms around his teacher's neck. Nagisa smiled grimly, locking his eyes with Koro-senseis' as he revealed the grenade hanging as a necklace around his neck.

It was all too fast.

Koro-sensei's realisation of the danger.

Nagisa's nonchalant smile.

Tereaska's thumb pressing on the detonator.

In a matter of milliseconds, the bomb exploded, allowing uncountable anti sensei bbs to ricochet off the walls, chairs and tables, even hitting the students in the front row. Katsuna threw herself to the ground and covered her head the best she could with her arms. A series of screams and shrieks as many of the other students followed suit, squeezing their eyes shut and protecting what they could from the pellets. Once the air began filling up with smoke, the shouts died down as the noise of the bbs quietened.

"YEAH!" Tereaska leapt from his seat in ecstatic joy, his friends having smiles plastered on their faces for all to see, "WE DID IT!"

"Nagisa.." whimpered the green haired girl, her mouth covered with her hands.

"YEAH WE'RE GONNA BE BILLIONAIRES!" whooped one of Tereaska's friends.

"YOU JERKS!"

"WHAT THE HELL HAVE YOU DONE?!"

Tereaska ignored the retorts and stepped up closer to where the tinged black tentacles were laid, "Huh never saw a suicide bomber coming did ya?!"

"TEREASKA!" shouted the green haired girl, "WHAT DID YOU MAKE NAGISA DO?!"

"What?" Tereaska questioned, looking back that the girl, "I'm sorry, do you have a better idea Kaede?

"I gave him a modified toy grenade filled with those stupid bbs and a spoonful of gunpowder," he explained, "just so they'll scatter at a high enough speed."

Kaede gasped, looking down at the floor in shock.

"Don't worry it wasn't enough to kill anyon-"

Suddenly, Katsuna ran up to the front, smacking Tereaska around the face in pure rage, cutting the boy off.

Tereaska's head whipped to the side due to the force, his eyes wide with surprise before turning to anger, "WHAT THE HELL? I TOLD YOU IT WASN'T ENOUGH TO-"

"IT DOESN'T MATTER YOU IDIOT!" seethed Katsuna, "THAT WAS INCREDIBLY DANGEROUS, DON'T YOU UNDERSTAND? NOT JUST FOR NAGISA BUT FOR EVERYONE IN THIS CLASSROOM!"

Tereaska stood there in complete silence, shook to his core at the pure hatred this girl was spewing. He glanced around the room, analysing the faces of his peers. Many were still in shock from the disaster, some holding their faces in pain as the bbs hit them.

"ANYONE IN THIS ROOM COULD HAVE BEEN BLINDED BY WHAT YOU JUST PULLED!" Katsuna continued, "JUST BECAUSE WE CAN'T BE KILLED BY THOSE BBS, DOESN'T MEAN IT STILL DOESN'T HURT!"

Tereaska held his head in shame, cowering under the girl in front of him.

"Well put Katsuna," a menacing voice appeared, shaking the room from its sheer force.

Everyone in the room looked up to see Koro-sensei stuck to the ceiling, the atmosphere becoming more sinister by the second. He bared his teeth at the three students below him, his face pitch black as ungodly sounds escaped his jaws.

"TERASAKA...MURAMATSU...YOSHIDA!"

The students stared up in fright at each of their names were called.

"THIS WAS YOUR DOING WASN'T IT?!"

They stood there, paralysed in fear as cold sweat dripped down their trembling faces.

"W-who?"

"U-s? N-No it w-was all N-nagisa"

Just then, a gust of wind shot around the classroom as Koro-sensei launched himself outside and returned in a matter of milliseconds carrying the name plates from each student's house.

"Here's the deal kiddos, the agreement states I can't hurt you as my students," Koro-sensei growled, "but no-one said I couldn't hurt your family or close friends!"

"DON'T YOU EVER PULL SOMETHING LIKE THAT AGAIN!"

"C-COME T-THREATEN US!" Tereaska quivered, his arm shaking as he pointed at the monster that stood before him in tears, "I-I'M NOT A-AFRAID OF N-NO SQUIT!"

"WE'RE JUST DEFENDING OURSELVES!"

"Why of course!!" Koro-sensei smiled, a red circle appearing on his face signalling a correct answer, "I know that, I just would rather you not put your fellow students in harms way."

"And talking of said students.."

Koro-sensei pointed to the floor, where Nagisa was lying on the wooden floor covered in some sort of sticky substance.

"Wow, he doesn't even have a scratch on him!" Kaede commented, kneeling down to the floor beside Nagisa, "What is this?"

"It's a husk!" Koro-sensei exclaimed, "I wrapped it around your classmate to protect him from the blast."

"I shed my body once a month," Koro-sensei explained, "It can act as a protective blanket like in this scenario, how are you feeling Nagisa?"

"I'm okay Sensei, thank you for helping me," Nagisa bowed, grateful for the blanket. He chuckled lightly at the irony of his target being the more to protect him.

"Good, you get top marks for technique, you're composure was simply outstanding," Koro-sensei congratulated, before turning sharply to the trio, "however, none of you cared whether Nagisa was hurt and that is something I can simply not let slip by, especially that not even Nagisa cared."

"Student's with that attitude towards assassinations are simply not cut out to be assassins," he explained, a purple X appearing on his face, signalling a wrong answer, "you should think of yourself worthy of your target, take pride in what you do, in yourselfs and in each other."

"All of you are more than the sum of your parts."

The class looked at Koro-sensei in astonishment, moved and inspired by his speech. They looked at each other and began smiling, chattering between themselves about the crazy incident they just went through and new assassination techniques.

Katsuna peered up at Koro-sensei, trying to figure him out. He may be a cocky egotistical tentacle-man, but damn, he can really teach.

A feeling of regret began to creep up inside her but she shoved the it deep down.

This bizzare education was starting to grow on her as she sat back down in her seat.

"NO ONE LEAVES UNTIL I'M ASSASSINATED!" Koro-sensei shouted, green stripes covering his face.

"EH!"

"THIS IS TOTAL BALLS!"

"WE'RE SO SCREWED!"

"Yep," Katsuna thought smiling to herself, "Definitely a bizarre education."

_"I don't think I've had this much fun in a long time..."_


	5. Katsuna's Attempt

"Damn this a sticky job," the black haired boy complained, "Pass me another one Nagisa."

It was lunch break in Class 3-E at Kunugigaoka Junior High School and the students were busy coming up with assassination attempts in order to kill a certain yellow octopus.

Kaede peered over his shoulder, the curiosity getting to her, "Sugino, what's that?". 

"It's a baseball covered in anti-sensei bbs," Sugino replied proudly, "I came up with the idea last night whilst reading about famous baseball techniques, I'm surprised I didn't come up with the idea sooner, it's pretty much the only thing I have going for myself."

"I was going to throw a fastball at Koro-sensei," he continued, hard at work on his masterpiece, "Nagisa already filled me in on the details that around this time he's in the forest reading the newspaper."

"He won't even know what hit him!"

Curious herself, Katsuna listened in on the conversation from her desk. She had been trying to gather as many ideas as she could to formulate her own assassination attempt.

"It's done!" Sugino cheered, throwing the baseball up into the air before catching it in one hand, "Let's go then Nagisa, class will start soon."

Nagisa nodded and followed Sugino out the classroom to hunt Koro-sensei down. Katsuna thought about joining the two, but she had another task to take care of. She stood up from her chair and traipsed down to the teachers lounge where, as she expected, Karasuma was typing on his computer.

"Excuse me , Karasuma-sensei," Katsuna addressed the man before her, knocking lightly on the door, "can I borrow you at lunchtime?"

~~~~~~~~~

Back in class, Koro-sensei began rambling about different terms used in the English language. Katsuna took this as a chance to send a pass note to Sugino, who she had noticed seemed extremely dejected. Even if she was to end up sabotaging her classmates grades, she still felt the need to help where she could.

It turns out that his assassination attempt earlier had failed miserably, with Koro Sensei even having time to take a trip down to the storage shed and grab a baseball glove, just so he could catch the ball as it was in mid-flight. Sugino blamed it on himself for having such a slow fastball, but Katsuna replied with "The octopus travels at mach 20, there's no human alive that can do anything to even challenge that speed, but I did love your idea, it was so creative and gave me a bunch of ideas!"

Sugino smiled weakly at the girl a couple of seats behind him, mouthing a quiet "thank you."

Katsuna returned his smile with a goofy thumbs up which caused Sugino to let out a small chuckle. The two then returned their focus back onto the teacher just as he was finishing up the lesson.

"Now if you'll excuse me, I have some important off-campus business to attend to," Koro-sensei spoke, opening the side door of the classroom.

"Tofu from China?" the class rep questioned.

"Not this time Isogai," he replied, "I'm catching a ball game in the big apple, SEE YA-"

The gust of wind hit the classroom as he launched himself into the air, barely finishing his sentence.

"That move of his is starting to really piss me off," Terasaka grumbled.

"Talk about unfair though, we're stuck here whilst he gets to travel the world," the orange haired girl chirped.

"I feel ya, he could bring back a souvenir once in a while but no," Rio chided, "Anyway, do you wanna have lunch together Katsuna?"

"Sorry Rio," she apologised, "I already have plans, I'll catch you later though."

"Huh okay, see ya!" Rio replied, waving she off.

Karasuma-sensei was waiting in the office as Katsuna approached.

"I assume you already know it's going to be hard," Karasuma began, "it's not something that someone can master in just an hour."

Katsuna nodded, fully prepared to take on whatever Karasuma had in store, "I'll try my hardest Sensei!"

Karasuma grinned, thrilled by the enthusiastic response, "Let's Begin!"

~~~~~~~~~~

The light chatter of students could be heard in the classroom as they packed up to go home. Koro-sensei was at his desk, organising the test papers for tomorrow's pop quiz on the use of different mathematical formulas.

"He seems distracted," Katsuna analysed, "All the signs point to this being the right time."

She stood up from her seat with her bag in hand and began making her way to the front, as if she was just leaving the classroom normally. After watching Nagisa, Katsuna had been training herself at home to hide her bloodlust.

None of the students noticed her as she passed, her footsteps silent, her breathing controlled.

"Koro-sensei's focus was still on his work..good."

Katsuna was only a few feet away from her opponent, closing in like a jaguar stalking it's prey.

Two feet away.

One feet away.

She let out a small chuckle, suddenly alerting her peers and Koro-sensei of her movements,

NOW!

Katsuna leaped towards Koro-sensei, throwing her bag to the side as she swung her right leg, attempting to kick him in the head. Koro-sensei had milliseconds to reaction, but it was just enough time to lift one of his tentacles and grip the end of her shoe to block the attack.

However, no-one there could have predicted what happened next.

Koro-sensei's tentacle exploded into yellow gunks that fell and splattered on the floor below.

Before the match, Katsuna had stuck the anti-sensei knife on the bottom of her shoes, inspired by Sugino's attempt earlier.

Koro-sensei's eyes barley followed the motion, surprised and caught of guard. Katsuna took this opportunity to leap back and quickly follow suit with her left leg, swinging it at the target in front of her. Koro-sensei, however, was ready for this attack and jumped to the floor, allowing her leg to pass over his head. Katsuna grinned, expecting something of the sort and instead put her full force into her left leg again, only this time thrusting it forward , straight towards Koro-sensei's neck. The octopus reacted just as quickly, sacrificing another of his tentacles to block the attack before grabbing the side of her leg and pushing her over. The force of the push made Katsuna lose her balance on her right leg and she toppled onto the wooden floor.

"Sheesh, Sensei," Katsuna whined, picking herself off the floor and dusting herself off, "You didn't have to get so rough."

She turned back to her teacher, laughing nervously with one of her hands scratching the back of her head, "Damn, I thought that would have finished you, I even kept Karasuma-sensei from eating his lunch."

Koro-sensei looked up at the student before him in disbelief and total silence.

How did she do that?

How was her reflexes so fast?

How did I miss this?

"THAT WAS INCREDIBLE!" chorsed the class, running up to Katsuna and praising her.

"YOU ACTUALLY HIT HIM!"

"WHERE DID YOU LEARN THAT!!?"

Katsuna chuckled, surprised herself that she even landed a hit, "I just trusted my instincts."

After regenerating his tentacles back, Koro-sensei passed one of his tentacles through the circle of students and placed it on Katsuna's head.

" A splendid attempt Miss Katsuna," he congratulated, "Top marks for creativity!"

"Thanks sir, but actually," she replied, gesturing to the students behind her, "I think I should thank Nagisa and Sugino for inspiring me, I really couldn't have done that without them first attempting to assassinate you."

"I see, however," Koro-sensei snickered with the green stripes appearing on his face, "It seemed it still wasn't enough to kill THE GREAT KORO-SENSEI HAHAHAH!"

The class looked at their teacher, their eyes fueled with fierce confidence.

The assassination attempt had inspired them. This proved they were getting better and one day, they will be successful in killing the octopus.   
  



	6. Enter: Karma Akabane

"Head's up Katsuna!"

"Woah! You threw it so fast, I could barely see it!"

"Haha, all in the wrists and elbows! I'm perfecting a curve ball to place in my strengths."

It was break time at Kunugigaoka Junior High School, Class 3-E.

After being told by Koro-sensei to stop imitating famous baseball players and start working on his own techniques, Sugino began training himself in order to get better at what he loves best. He had asked Katsuna to help catch the balls and she willinging agreed, seeing as it would also benefit her hand-eye coordination.

"It's nothing Koro-sensei can't see coming from a mile away but what are ya gonna do," Sugino disclosed, shrugging his shoulders, "I'm sticking with it though, perseverance is key!"

Katsuna smiled and nodded approvingly.

"Killing Koro-sensei isn't going to be easy," Katsuna began, "but we're not going to give up!"

"Well out of everyone, I think you might have the best shot at this," Sugino complimented, throwing the ball up in the air, "You did take out two of his tentacles after all."

"Yeah, but I don't have any other ideas that apart from that," she mumbled, "It's so infuriating!"

"I'm sure you'll come up with something!" Sugino encouraged, "I'm gonna ask if I can take a few test shots at the octopus, thanks for helping me out though!"

As Katsuna waved the boy off before glancing down at her watch.

_Shit_

_She was going to be late_.   
~~~~~~~~~~

Hurrying along the main campus corridor, Katsuna noticed the disgusted looks on the faces of the students she passed.

As she was in E class now, she guessed it was her time to be discriminated against, though strangely she didn't care. It felt good to finally have the pressure of the student body off her back.

She flipped off the students as she passed by, chuckling at their horrified faces.

"If I knew it was going to be this fun," she thought to herself, "I would have dropped down sooner."

The girl finally reached the doors to the office, knocking lightly to make her presence known.

"Enter," the principal said, not missing a beat this time.

Katsuna opened the doors, peering her head inside as she laid eyes on the man himself.

"My dear Katsuna, it's been a while," he stated, watching as the girl walked up to his desk warily.

"Yes, it has," she replied, awkwardly standing as the man eyed her up.

"How's E class handling things down there?" The principal questioned, staring at the girl with curiosity.

"Everything seems to be in order sir," Katsuna informed, "However, Koro-sensei seems to have sparked something in the students, I'm not sure on how to describe it, but it could be something that would turn into an issue later."

Principal Asano sat for a moment, thinking of the information that was just handed to him in distaste, "I see."

"I may end up having to step up my game if the percentages begin to topple over," he continued, referring to his policy.

E class, representing the End Class, is where students who have disobeyed the schools guidelines or have not kept up their grades are sent.

It's a place where all hope is lost, as you are discriminated against by the other students who have managed to stay out of their ranks.

However due to their new teacher, the attitudes in that classroom have begun to change, their hearts once again alive with confidence.

Katsuna gathered this was something the principal wanted to avoid like the plague, in hopes that his life polices stay intact.

"I noticed you called the being Koro-sensei," Principal Asano commented, "Is that what the students in that class are calling him."

"Yes," Katsuna replied, surprised the principal would be curious about such a minor thing, "It represents 'unkillable teacher', however I recently had attempted an assassination technique and ended up harming the creature."

"Interesting," the principal muttered, "Maybe he is killable after all."

He sat up in his chair, his demeanour signalling that their together was up.

"I'll make sure you're father stays put for now," Principal Asano stated, shuffling the papers on his desk, "but don't you dare become one of them."

Katsuna nodded firmly before exiting the office.

"Don't become one of them he says." She pondered to herself, a familiar feeling of regret resurfacing.

"It'll be okay, just as long as I give him what he wants.... I'll explain it to them later."

~~~~~~~~

After finishing up the meeting, Katsuna wandered back onto her campus grounds, allowing the fresh air to refresh her mood.

"DON'T PLANT THEM AT MACH 20!" a girl with short brown hair scolded

"No! Of course no!" Koro sensei wailed, sweating profusely.

"Tulips need a delicate touch!" commanded the girl with the purple clip.

"Delicate! Right! Got it!" the octopus replied.

Katsuna noticed the class rep and the orange haired boy watching the trio, strolling over to them to ask what was going on.

"The poor guy didn't realise that the girls were waiting for months for them to grow, and ended up pulling them out in order to envision one of his lessons," Maehara reported, "so he's planting new bulbs for them."

"Seems like he's going through a lot of trouble for someone who's declared to destroy the planet," Katsuna commented, watching Koro-sensei getting shouted at by the two girls.

"Yeah... kinda seems like a conflict of interest if you ask me," Isogai replied, shaking his head in wonder at the octopus.

The girl with the purple clip began walking up to them, smiling.

"What's up Kataoka?" Isogai wondered.

"We got Koro-sensei to agree to reduce his speed and let the whole class take whacks at him!" she blurted, hardly being able to contain her excitement any longer, "come and help us tie him up will you?"

~~~~~~~~~

"He's totally the coolest teacher!" Kaede marvelled, holding a bamboo stick with an anti-sensei knife tied to it.

The class had tied Koro-sensei to a tree branch near the wooden campus. They aimed their weapons up, some with makeshift spears and others with guns full of anti-sensei bbs, attempting to get a hit on their target. Koro-sensei, to his word, had deduced his speed, however he was still way too fast for the students to counter.

"A few more minutes of this and I'm forgiven right?" Koro-sensei questioned, "You're a very lucky class I'll have you know, not many teachers would put themselves in this position."

"Ugh we're having no luck at all," Maehara complained, throwing his knife towards the octopus.

"HAHAHA, even with this handicap, I'm still no match for you class," Koro-sensei jeered, his cocky attitude pissing this students off.

"ONLY IN YOUR DREAMS WILL YOU EVER BE ABLE TO-"

The branch couldn't take the weight and movement from Koro-sensei any longer and broke off the tree, plummeting Koro-sensei to the ground.

......

........

"KILL HIM!!!!" the class choursed, running towards their target with sheer determination.

"WAIT THIS WASN'T PART OF THE DEAL!" Koro-sensei squealed, his tentacles becoming tangled up in the rope. His only means of escape was to rolled away at high speed from the oncoming rampage of bloodthirsty students.

"STOP IT! STOP IT! STOP IT!" he shrieked, his voice becoming an octave higher each time.

He launched himself up into the air, finally breaking free from the ropes.

"HAHA WHAT'S THE MATTER CHILDREN?" he shouted in glee, landing on the roof of the campus building, "CAN'T JUMP THIS HIGH? THAT'S A SHAME ISN'T IT!"

Koro-sensei cackled at the frustration in his student's faces.

"DAMN WE NEARLY HAD HIM!"

"GET BACK DOWN HERE!"

"Guess who's earned themselves extra homework," he snickered, wiping the sweat away from his yellow face.

"NO FAIR!!"

With that said, Koro-sensei leaped into the air, disappearing from sight.

"Where's he going?" the boy with the shaved hair questioned.

"It doesn't matter," Kataoka replied, "but I can feel it, we're getting closer to a solution!"

"Keep this up and it's only a matter of time before we got him!" Isogai exclaimed, his voice brimming with confidence.

The class cheered, excitedly chatting to each other, congratulating each other for their efforts.

Katsuna smiled to herself, watching her fellow classmates praise each other.

 _Don't become one of them._  
The voice returned, abruptly souring her mood.

She shook off the feeling.

Right now, she just wanted to feel like another student in Class 3-E, attempting to assassinate her teacher.

~~~~~~~~~

"1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8"

It was P.E for the students in Class 3-E, though their session was anything but normal for the junior high class. As if they were imitating the military ranks, Karasuma had put the class hard at work, improving their knife swings on each count.

"MAKE THOSE KNIVES SING!" Karasuma commanded, dressed in his white shirt and black tie.

He turned to Koro-sensei, who was delicately holding a flower in his tentacle, looking like a 5 year old child, "You're in the way here pal, physical education is my depart."

"B-but I'm _lonely~_ " Koro-sensei wailed, shifting his eye down to his precious flower.

"Go play in the sand box instead then," Karasuma pointed behind him to the said place.

Koro-sensei began patting the sand into a hill, tearing up as he sat by his lonesome, "You don't have to be so mean Karamsuma."

"Whatever," the square huffed, shifting his focus back onto his class.

"Now for the next set of swings," he announced demonstrating the knife skill. He started by thrusting the knife forward at full force, just as quickly following it up with a horizontally slice, finally finishing with a high diagonal slice.

The students stood in awe at the speed and precision Karasuma showed off. No wonder he was from the Ministry of Defense.

Koro-sensei witnessed the students fascination and began to feel jealous of Karasuma.

"I know what this is!" he accused, "You're trying to take my place as their favorite teacher!"

"This is not a popularity contest," Karasuma replied, spinning around and throwing a knife at the creature. Koro-sensei, of course, caught the knife in a handkerchief, no surprise there.

"Isogai, Maehara, step up!" Karasuma continued, "I want to you try and attack me, as a team."

"You think that's a good idea?" Maehara doubted, "Won't you get hurt?"

"The knives are harmless, they can't injure human beings," Karasuma explained, pulling his tie off, "now come at me like you're trying to kill me!"

The boys looked at each other, getting recognition from the other to whether they should go ahead and do what he said. They both smiled, boasting the other with a surge of confidence before looking ahead at their new target.

Isogai launched forward, his arm stretched out as he thrusted his knife towards Karasuma, but the teacher sidestepped, doding the attack easily. Isogai lost balance, tripping over his foot and fell to the ground.

"Is that the best you got?" Karasuma provoked, making Maehara narrow his eyes at his target.

He launched forward, his knife thrusting towards Karasuma, but he quickly turned side on, pushed one hand on Maehara's back and pulled the other one on the hand gripping the knife, causing Maehara to fall the side. Not missing a beat, Isogai leapt towards his opponent, slicing his knife horizontally. Karasuma dodged, jumping to the back, just as Maehara crouched down, swinging his knife diagonally up and across. Of course, the teacher deflected the attack, pushing his arm down with one hand. The two boys swung their knives at their target correspondingly, but to no avail as Karasuma, with one hand pushed Isogai away and with the other, pushed Maehara's elbow up, making the boy's aim hit the empty air instead. The two boys tried again, this time both going for a frontal approach, with Maehara slicing his knife horizontally and Isogai diagonally down.

"I can practically dodge their attacks in my sleep," Karasuma announced, pushing both boys away with no effort at all, "They've got no technique."

The two boys gritted their teeth, frustrated at themselves for not even being able to land one hit. They tried once more, running with their knives pointed directly at the target in front of them. Karasuma sighed, grabbing one arm in each hand and pulled them to the ground, making both boys slammed onto the dirt beneath them.

"If you can't lay one hit against me," Karasuma lectured, "You haven't no chance in hell of landing one on a target who's mach speed is 20."

He gestured to the sandpit, his point made without any other words. There, sat on the sand, was Koro-sensei in a traditional japanese get-up, drinking tea with a model of a japanese castle made out of sand next to him.

"That's so irritating," Maehara admitted.

"That's why we need to train you to become better assassins," Karasuma explained, helping the boys up from the ground, "We are counting on you to come up with something that can stop this creature from destroying the Earth come next March."

"That's it, class dismissed."

The class erupted in chatter as they made their may back to the campus to get changed.

"Hey Nagisa, wait up!" Katsuna called, lightly jogging over to the blue haired boy.

"What's up?" he asked, as Katsuna returned her pace to a slow walk.

"I was going to ask you about a few tips on Koro-sensei," she replied, bubbly with excitement, "I heard from Rio that you're keeping notes on him so I was wondering if I could take a look?"

"Yeah of course," he beamed, reaching into his pocket, retrieving a small flip book containing sketches and notes all about what he has discovered about Koro-sensei over the past month, "Feel free to be as long as you wa-"

Nagisa stopped walking, his eyes locked with someone who stood on the hill before him.

Katsuna, curious to see what has sparked his interest, followed his line of sight and let her eyes gazed upon a boy with crimson hair and pale mercury eyes.

"Nagisa, it's been a while."

His eyes traveled to the side, meeting Katsuna's heavy gaze.

Holding the eye contact, he waited for the girl to glance away but instead she stood, unfaltering. The boy bit down hard on the straw of his strawberry milk before appearing uninterested, focusing his attention on the teacher in the distance. 


	7. Disruption in the Classroom

_Nagisa stopped walking, his eyes locked with someone who stood on the hill before him._

_Katsuna, curious to see what has sparked his interest, followed his line of sight and let her eyes gazed upon a boy with crimson hair and pale mercury eyes._

_"Nagisa, it's been a while."_

_His eyes traveled to the side, meeting Katsuna's heavy gaze. Holding the eye contact, he waited for the girl to glance away but instead she stood, unfaltering. The boy bit down hard on the straw of his strawberry milk before appearing uninterested, focusing his attention on the teacher in the distance._

~~~~~~~~~~

"Oh hey!"

He scampered down the steps, all excited like a child in an amusement park, passing the two students without batting an eye.

"That must be the notorious Korosensei!" he marvelled, wandering up to the teacher in astonishment, "Wow! He really does look like an octopus, haha whatcha know?"

"Ahhh Mr Akabane I presume," Koro-sensei beamed, "I'm right in thinking your suspension ended today, welcome back!"

"Haha thanks for the warm welcome Sensei," Karma chuckled extending a hand to the teacher in front of him, "I've heard some great things about you teach! It's nice to meet you finally in person."

"The pleasure is all mine," Koro-sensei grinned, extending his tentacle towards the boy in return, "It'll definitely be a year to reme-."

As soon as his tentacle met Karma's firm grip, it exploded, the yellow gunk splattered onto the grass below. Koro-sensei barely had anytime to react, taken back up the unexpected damage. Karma took this chance to throw his carton aside, revealing a anti-sensei knife stuffed inside his cardigan sleeve. His eyes narrowed, launching his arm towards his target at full speed, the knife slicing through the air dangerously close to Koro-sensei. Just in time, the teacher sprung into action, using his speed to jump back to a safe distance from student in front of him.

"Ho~ ho~, you are fast aren't ya!" Karma explained, recovering his balance to face his target, "And who would have thought these knives actually worked?"

"I just cut one up and stuck the pieces to my hand," he revealed nochantly, turning his palm to his teacher, "Pretty elementary stuff, I'm disappointed that's all it took to catch you off guard."

"But good jump," he continued, snickering, " _if you wanted to come off as a coward._ "

Karma tucked his hands back into his pockets, swaggering closer to his prey, "What?"

" _You scared of me?_ "

The class stood in shock, all anticipating his next moves.

"I heard they call you Koro-sensei because you're supposed to be unkillable," he continued as Koro-sensei regenerated his lost tentacle.

"Oh _come on.._ " Karma smirked, leaning in close to Koro-sensei, "No way you can be _this big of a pushover_."

Karma scoffed as he saw that his provocation worked. Koro-sensei's face had turned a vibrant red, his veins bulging out as he gnashed his teeth together.

"Hey Nagsia," Kaede inquired, "What kind of person is this guy?"

"Ahh..." Nagisa hesitated, not once taking his eyes of the situation, "He and I were in the same class back in our first and second year,"

"He was violent," he continued, "So violent that they finally suspended him and sent him here because they didn't know what else to do with him."

"I guess, under the circumstances," Rio commented, "He's probably the best suited student for this assassination task, considering his personality like you said."

"That's true," Nagsia replied, watching as Karma backed away from Koro-sensei, leaving the teacher standing by himself, "His passion is weapons and blood, if anyone can come up with something that can kill the octopus, he's our guy."

Katsuna listened in on the conversation, analysing the movements of the boy. He seemed confident, calculated... like what he was doing was as natural as taking your first steps as a child. 

A true killer.

~~~~~~~~~~

Plop.

Plop.

Plop.

The sound of Koro-sensei's tentacle impacting the wall carried throughout the classroom, the atmosphere heavy on the student's shoulders.

Plop.

Plop.

Plop.

"Umm~" a orange haired boy whispered to the girl next to him, "What is he doing?"

"Errm.. I don't really know Mimura," the girl replied, whispering back whilst looking at her teacher in pity, "I think he's punching the wall."

"No you're right," Isogai added, turning to the pair behind him, "Karma's smack talk must have really pressed on his buttons."

"But what's the point in punching the wall?" Maehara asked, leaning over his desk quietly to get a clearer view of their teacher, "His tentacles are way too soft to do anything."

"OKAY! THAT'S ENOUGH" the girl with the short hair snapped, alerting Koro-sensei, "WE'RE TRYING TO TAKE A TEST HERE AND ALL I CAN HEAR IS YOUR TENTACLE!"

"PLEASE CAN YOU JUST TAKE YOUR PATHETIC TANTRUM OUTSIDE, I'M TRYING TO CONCENTRATE."

"S-sorry, of course," Koro-sensei spluttered, the beads of sweat returning to his yellow face.

"You sure you wanna do this Karma?" Teraska challenged, leaning back in his chair, "The sea urchin is majorly pissed at you for what you said."

"Of course he's pissed you idiot," Karma sneered, "And I don't need your concern, I can handle myself."

"I heard about your attempt a couple weeks back," he continued, snickering, "Who knew the brainless meathead was also a little boy who wets himself at the sight of danger."

"I DID NOT PISS MYSELF YOU ASS!" Terasaka yelled, slamming his fist on his desk as Karma looked towards the front, smiling at his success of pissing him off.

"Too easy," he thought, already bored of the class.

"QUIET PLEASE!" Koro-sensei yelled, disapprovingly looking at Teraska.

A tiny chuckle was heard from the seat next to him, making the redhead briefly avert his eyes from the octopus to the girl next to him. He silently watched her as she filled out the questions on the paper, his eyes analysing her movements for a second before replying to Koro-sensei's outburst.

"My bad teach, but no worries, I've already finished," he bragged, whipping out the pink strawberry gelato from his bag, "I'm just going to eat this if that's all good."

"Not so fast young man!" Koro-sensei demanded, "No eating in clas-"

"UHHHHHHHHH" the octopus shrieked, noticing the familiar desert, "THAT'S MY STRAWBERRY GELATO!"

"What was that Sensei?" Karma feigned confusion, taking another lick of the frozen treat, "I just found it laying around in the teacher's lounge, I didn't realise it belonged to someone."

"THIS WILL NOT STAND!" Koro-sensei argued, "I HAD TO FLY THROUGH THE COLDEST LAYER OF THE STRATOSPHERE TO KEEP THAT DELICIOUS DESSERT FROM MELTING!"

"Okay, so hit me," Karma dared, his eyes narrowing as he took another taste of the gelato, "If you wanna do something about it."

"Of course not," the octopus muttered, putting his tentacles on his hips disapprovingly, "What I will do is just take what's left thank you very much- EH!"

Karma's antics had struck again, this time luring the teacher in closer to his position by drawing his focus to the gelato. This allowed the red head to scatter anti-sensei bbs onto the floor, consequently damaging the octopus as his tentacles made contact. As soon as Koro-sensei instinctively peered down at his melted tentacles, Karma pointed a gun at point blank range and began shooting at the creatures yellow face. However, Koro-sensei dodged with ease using his speed.

Karma chuckled, allowing the gun to rest on the desk before standing up and sauntering over to Koro-sensei just as he was regenerating his tentacles once again.

"That's twice in one day teach," Karma chortled, "You sure you're really the unkillable creature that all the world leaders are worried about,"

" _Because I don't see anything to be afraid of._ "

" I hope you know," Karma added, "I'm going to keep pulling the same tricks."

"Class with be interrupted, our grades will slip, but if you want this all to stop, you know you can just _kill me~_."

Karma shoved the gelato into Koro-sensei's teacher's uniform, letting the cone drop to the floor.

"Why not give up this stupid teacher act and give us beloved students a taste of your ugly side," he boy taunted, passing Koro-sensei and slamming his test paper on the front desk.

"See ya later teach, I can't wait for tomorrow's lesson!" he hummed, closing the door behind him.

The classroom was left in silence, no one daring to talk.

"He's definitely not afraid to go there," Katsuna thought, "Not to mention drawing a line Koro-sensei can't cross without everyone seeing him differently."

A mastermind of manipulation with brains and force to back him up, that is Karma Akabane.  
  
  



	8. Train Station Terror

"So when he tries to show off," Nagisa informed, reading the small notes in his small flipbook, "He becomes cocky and vulnerable."

"Yeah, that makes sense," Sugino replied, thinking back to the tree scenario, "As frustrating as it is to see him in that mood, it's probably our best shot if we were to attempt a somewhat successful assassination."

Katsuna listened to the conversation, making a mental note of the points they were saying.

Once the bell had signaled the end of class, the class had packed up their notebooks and piled out the room. Koro-sensei had left early, attending to other business outside the classroom. He had continued the lesson in silence after Karma's outburst, thinking of ways to deal with the boy without giving him the satisfaction of losing his temper and killing him.

Nagisa had waited for his friends to finish putting the books into their bags, promising earlier to go over his notes as the trio walked home.

"He's also surprisingly quick to panic," Katsuna commented, "Remember when he pulled those tulips out, I swear he thought we were all going to start hating him and began panicking, like the way we see him matter's a lot to him."

"That's pretty accurate actually," Nagisa approved, quickly writing it down.

"Well this is my stop guys," Sugino stated, waving off to the pair, "I'll catch you both later."

"See ya," the two choursed, watching as Sugino crossed the road and disappeared around the corner.

"Hey, no way, is that Katsuna?!"

The golden-green eyed girl spun around as her name was called.

A short blonde haired girl was stood facing Katsuna's direction, the two girls beside her turning their heads slowly, following her lead.

"Look at that her," the one with freckles sneered, narrowing her eyes, "All mushy with her fellow E class numskulls."

"Ew, let's stay away from her," the other girl insulted, "Who knows what kind of diseases she's caught from those insects."

"I still don't know what Asano-san sees in her," the blonde muttered coldly, "She's nothing but a man grabbing whore."

"You're so right," the girl with freckles sniggered, "You deserve his attention more than that slut"

"I bet she's sucking off every boy in Class E," the other girl continued, pushing up her glasses in revolution, "She might as give up on school and go learn how to work the pole."

"She hasn't got any other better options," Freckles replied, laughing.

"No wonder she's walking home with Nagisa," The blonde chuckled, "I'm surprised she's not bringing Karma along, why she can suck one off and give the other a handjob!"

The girls howled with laughter, clutching their sides as they watched Katsuna grit her teeth in anger.

"I'd rather be dead than be stuck in a classroom with that freak-"

Out of nowhere, the sound of glass smashed above the pole the trio were stood by, swiftly silencing the girls. Katsuna and Nagisa both looked up to see Karma with a half shattered beer bottle in one hand, smiling menacingly at the trembling girls in front of him.

"Really!" he exclaimed, his voice tinged with excitement, "Because I can make that happen if you'd like?"

"E-EERM NO, I'D RATHER STAY ALIVE!" the girls screamed, running away with their tails between their legs.

"What a bunch of cowards," he muttered, throwing the wine bottle to the side, before walking up the his classmates.

Katsuna watched as all malice disappeared from his features. He glanced into her eyes for a second, before swiftly moving his attention onto Nagisa.

"Umm, thank yo-" she started, but stopped as Karma passed her. She slowly turned her head to see the boy walk straight towards their blue haired friend.

"You weren't really going to kill them were you?" Nagsia questioned, peering up at his red haired friend.

"Are you kidding?" Karma replied, scoffing at the question, "Of course not, I'm not going to risk another suspension for those asses when I have the chance to kill an actual teacher!"

Katsuna stayed silent as the two conversed, unsure of what to do or say. She felt a bit of resentment towards the red-head's attitude towards her but kept quiet. He did just help her out, even if he doesn't want to acknowledge that.

"So that's the type of guy he is," Katsuna murmured under her breath, "The type to do what he wants, without having to feel like he's doing to for the benefit for others."

_What an idiot_

"So is it cool if I ask you a few questions apart the octopus?" Karma continued, "I wanted to know how he feels about being called that, you know, octopus, like does he hate it?"

"I don't think so," Nagisa answered, his finger on his chin as the thought back to their teacher, "He doodles himself as an octopus on our test papers and he uses the octopus icon everytime when playing video games."

_Fine, if he doesn't want to let go of his pride, I'll make him._

"He considers himself as an octopus, like using it as his own sort of avatar, he loves it." Katsuna chimed in, making the two boys to look at back her.

"Yeah that's it," Nagisa replied, beaming at the girl with long black wavy hair.

"Interesting..." Karma snickered, Oh this is going to be fucking awesome."

The pair watched as Karma's face slowly turned dark, his eyes wide with excitement. He was cooking something up big and neither of them wanted to have any part in it.

Nagisa glanced down at his watched, lightly gasping at the time, "Sorry guys, I've got to go, I'm due back home in 5 minutes."

Katsuna waved the blue-haired boy off as he scampered through the train station gates, vanishing into the crowd of people coming home from work. This left Karma and Katsuna standing together awkwardly, both looking elsewhere.

"I heard you were the one who damaged the octopus first."

Katsuna turned to meet Karma's steady gaze, "But I just don't see it."

"What do you-"

"Of course," Karma continued, cutting of the girl, "I shouldn't judge you on your appearance, but I hope you know,"

Karma's voiced lowered, narrowing his eyes as he glared at the girl in front of him. 

"I was planning on being the first and you ruined it."

"I had everything planned out and I carried it out flawlessly and yet you just had to come in and-"

"Oh get over yourself!" Katsuna snapped, interrupting Karma's rant, "Is this seriously what all this is about," her hands gesturing towards Karma.

"You ignoring my comment and passing by me like I'm thin air," she blurted, letting her frustration loose, "Over some petty pathetic idea of being the first one to hurt our teacher."

"News flash, it's not all about you."

Karma was taken back that her remarks, not expecting the fierce response.

"Tch~" he scoffed, shoving his hands into his pockets, glaring daggers at Katsuna.

"You're calling me pathetic after you didn't even stand up for yourself to what those bunch of nitwits were saying?" Karma smirked, "I watched the whole display and I must say, you cowering under their words was incredibly pitiful."

He chuckled coldly before turning to walk away from the girl. However, Katsuna was not just about to leave this conversation unfinished, in return, grabbing the boy's arm, making his face whip round in surprise. Without missing a beat, Katsuna swung her hand around, colliding it with Karma's cheek. This sent the boy's head quickly whipping to the side from the impact, caught of guard by the attack.

"Asshole!" Katsuna shouted, exploding in anger, before grabbing her fallen bag off the floor and marching out of the train station.

This left Karma standing in shock, his hand holding his pulsing red cheek. He started chuckling, the sound slowly becoming a menacing howl, causing the people around him to become uncomfortable and move away.

After a few seconds, the boy stopped, the anger seeping to the surface once more.

"This isn't over," he growled under his breath, "It's just getting started."  
  
  



	9. An Unlikely Bond

_He chuckled coldly before turning to walk away from the girl. However, Katsuna was not just about to leave this conversation unfinished, in return, grabbing the boy's arm, making his face whip round in surprise. Without missing a beat, Katsuna swung her hand around, colliding it with Karma's cheek. This sent the boy's head quickly whipping to the side from the impact, caught of guard by the attack._

_"Asshole!" Katsuna shouted, exploding in anger, before grabbing her fallen bag off the floor and marching out of the train station._

_This left Karma standing in shock, his hand holding his pulsing red cheek. He started chuckling, the sound slowly becoming a menacing howl, causing the people around him to become uncomfortable and move away._

_After a few seconds, the boy stopped, the anger seeping to the surface once more._

_"This isn't over," he growled under his breath, "It's just getting started."_

~~~~~~~~~

"You slapped him?!" Nagisa spluttered, "Like actually slapped him?"

"Yes, for the hundredth time," Katsuna whined, regretting her choice of speaking out.

Whilst the two were heading up the mountain to the wooden campus, Katsuna had mentioned the situation concerning Karma to her friend. She had ended up losing sleep last night, the incident replaying in her head through til the early hours of the morning. It wasn't the fear of what the boy would do in response that had kept her up but instead the sole factor that, for the first time since being in E Class, she had lost her cool and responded with a violent action.

_I guess the stress is really getting to me after all._

She was ashamed of herself and had planned to apologise to the red head before class started.

"I just, I can't believe it," he continued, wide eyed at the earlier remark, "And you're telling me he didn't react at all?"

"I'm saying I left before he could react," she mumbled, lowering her gaze to her feet, "I was just so angry for some reason, it's not like me."

"No-No," Nagisa carried on, shaking his head at the girl, "I mean he didn't run after you or anything?"

Katsuna turned her head to face Nagisa in confusion, "No? But like I said I got out of there pretty damn fast, I doubt he had time to catch up."

Nagisa soften his eyes at her reply and mumbled something under his breath.

"What?" the wavy haired girl asked, thinking she misheard something Nagisa said.

"It's nothing," he smiled, speeding his pace up, "Come on, we're going to be late at this rate!"

~~~~~~~~~

The pair opened the door to their class, cutting off their chatter as they encountered the bleak mood of their fellow students. Katsuna scanned the classroom, confused by the quiet unsettled faces of her classmates. She met eyes with a certain redhead who was sat smugly in his chair, grinning over the discomfort shown in the faces of the other students.

"Katsuna look," Nagisa murmured, pointing to the teacher's desk.

She followed his line of sight, gasping in horror as she witnessed the cause of the unnerving atmosphere.

"Good Morning you two," Koro-sensei chuckled, appearing suddenly behind both students, "And Good Morning boys and gir-".

The teacher stopped still, his voice disappearing as he looked upon the disheartening sight before him.

There, nailed his desk, was an octopus, it's tentacles still twitching slightly.

Karma raised his hand in glee, proud in his efforts to unsettle his target, "That's my doing teach, sorry about that, I could have sworn it was you _buttt~_ I must have been mistaken."

Koro-sensei walked towards his desk in despair, resting a small tentacle lightly on the half-dead octopus, finally allowing it to pass on. He turned to face the class, sighing as he made his way over to the mischievous child.

Karma examined his target's movements carefully, his plan working as Koro-sensei closed in. He gripped the anti-sensei knife tightly in his hand, waiting for the right time to strike.

Closer.

A little more.

NOW!

Karma leapt forward towards his teacher, the wooden chair slamming to the ground as he brought his knife across Koro-sensei's yellow grin.

The octopus, on the other hand, saw the attack coming.

Due to this, he had plenty of time to react, utilizing his speed to collect a few items to help him in his upcoming one to one with Mr Akabane himself. 

From Karma's perspective, it had seemed like the knife had sliced thin air, before being knocked back by the strong gust of wind Koro-sensei just so happened to create as he left the classroom. Karma regained his balance just in time for the octopus to return with a selection of different flavoured rice balls, tentacle-made of course.

Koro-sensei then proceeded to shove the rice balls into Karma's mouth, lecturing him in the process, "You see Karma, you might think you are invincible but I know better because I am your teacher."

"And as your teacher, I can't let you slip by unpunished for commiting murder, so please enjoy these wide variety of rice balls!" he continued, feeding Karma the food without pausing.

Karma, who was still processing his current situation, could only concentrate on munching down on the food provided, quickly enough before another was added to the mix. His eyes began to water, not only from the amount of food in his mouth, but from the different mix of flavours. Some tasted as sweet as ice cream, some were as sour as a lemon and the rest were incredibly spicy, filled to the brim with wasabi paste.

"I had a feeling you skipped breakfast this morning," Koro-sensei snickered, watching in pleasure as Karma began to cough and spit bits of mushed up rice, the mixture spilling out his lips in an unattractive manner.

"I like take care of my students health as well as their grades!" he informed, finally letting the red head go.

Karma spat the rice mixture onto the floor, coughing harshly as the food clogged up his throat.

"That should teach you to stop and think before you act out," Koro-sensei chuckled, returning to the front of the class to start first period, "Oh and Karma, make sure you clean up after you're finished, I'd rather not have my other students distracted by the mess you've made."

Karma grimaced, storming out the classroom in a rage. He shoved past Katsuna who was still stood with Nagisa by the door. She watched as Karma marched down to the teacher's lounge in a huff, to collect some wipes and cleaning spray. He returned to the classroom and began wiping up the rice mixture off the floor.

"Hey Karma, I didn't realise you were the new cleaning lady," Terasaka sniggered.

"Fuck off," Karma growled, throwing a bit of the mess at Terasaka, watching in bitter glee as the boy yelled in disgust.

"Karma!" Koro-sensei called, his back still turned away from the boys whilst writing the learning objective on the chalkboard, "Hurry and finish up, Katsuna needs to sit down and I don't want her sitting near your filth."

Katsuna watched as the red head eyed her up. If looks could kill, the girl would have been dead in seconds.

~~~~~~~~~

It was nearing the end of first period when Karma finally made his second attempt of the day to assassinate his irksome target. It was at this time when Katsuna could finally breathe freely after having the boy stare her down the entire lesson.

"His petty antics were becoming very tiring very quickly," Katsuna thought, sighing in contemptment.

She still hadn't had the time to properly apologise to him, so it wasn't a surprise he was still acting like an ass.

She removed her focus away from her thoughts just as Karma stood up to take a shot at their sensei.

"That's never going to work~" she muttered quietly, just as Karma fired the anti-sensei bb.

Just as expected, Koro-sensei dodged the bullet with time to spare. He had used this time to give Karma's hand a quick manicure, decorating his fingernails with cute designs of octopuses.

Katsuna giggled lightly as she noticed that each a finger was showing off a different colour to the last, "Wow, he really pays attention to detail."

Karma looked down at his hand in revolution, his eye's spewing lightning sparks as his frustration increased.

"Nice nails mate," Teraska jeered, "How adorab-"

Karma slammed his fist into the boy's chest, leaving him heavily winded but silencing him effectively.

~~~~~~~~~~

The red haired boy tried again, this time in home ec as the class was busy with cooking their meals.

As Koro-sensei was taste testing a student's soup, Karma snuck up to him, attempting to get a hit from behind. He swung his knife, aiming directly for Koro-sensei's neck but the teacher had noticed this maneuver before it was even put into action. He swiftly moved out the way, retrieving an apron from the storage cupboard before tying it around Karma's waist. The assassin gasped in horror as his classmates began laughing around him. The apron was pink and covered in flower print. The white frills sewed to the sides added to housewife appeal. Karma felt the heat rise to his cheeks as he turned bright pink with embarrassment.

Nagisa couldn't hold is laughter in anymore, spluttering in hysterics. Katsuna quickly followed suit, knowing full well this wouldn't help her case later.

"Oi Karma, cute outf-" Teraska started but was once again silenced with the red head's fist.

_He never does learn._

~~~~~~~~~

With Karma relentlessly attacking Koro-sensei, his classmates had no chances to act out their own assassination attempts. Their teacher was so high on alert that even the slightest out of place movement would have earned them an intense stare down.

The bell finally chimed for lunch, causing the students to sigh in relief.

"Hey Katsuna, come and have lunch with us," Nagisa called, Rio, Sugino and Kaede all standing together unpacking their meals.

"Umm, just give me a minute," Katsuna replied, her eye spotting Karma leaving the room. Now was her chance.

She followed Karma out of the campus, watching him start to disappear into the forest.

_Where is he going?_

The curious girl quickened her pace, entering the forest path that Karma had found just seconds earlier. As she wandered deeper into the forest, the golden-green eyed girl realised that she couldn't see the crimson colour of Karma's hair.

She travelled further in, trying desperately to search for any glimpse of him. As she trapsed on, she found that the trees began to get thinner and thinner, spacing out more as they lead her to a beautiful clearing.

She scanned the area, hoping to see a boy with a black cardigan but to no avail. Katsuna sighed, giving up on her pursuit before turning back around to head back to the wooden campus.

"What do you think you're doing?" a male voice grumbled, making the girl jump with surprise.

Katsuna lifted her head to find Karma spying down at her from one of the trees. He leapt down, his shoes thumping on the ground as he landed, before standing up straight and eyeing up the girl in frustration.

"Jeez, don't get your pants in a twist," Katsuna replied rudely, forgetting she came her to apologise.

"Sorry, I mean, umm, well, you see..." she stammered, unsure on how to start a conversation with the red head staring daggers at her.

Karma scoffed, turning his back on the girl and began walking towards the edge of the clearing. Katsuna found herself following his movements, before finally ceasing as the redhead sat down on a fallen trunk dangling over the side of the cliff.

"Look, if you came here to gloat about my assassination attempts then you can just piss off," Karma huffed, biting his finger as he stared down at the fall below, "I don't have time for you right now."

"I just wanted to say that I'm sorry for slapping you yesterday," Katsuna blurted, thinking it was the best to just get it over and done with, "it was uncalled for, I could have just ignored you."

Karma continued to look at his surroundings, unfaltered by the girl's remarks.

"I couldn't care less about your apology," he stated coldly, "In fact I couldn't care less about what happened at all yesterday."

"You are nothing but dirt I can rub off my boot at anytime, now fuck off."

Katsuna stood in silence, watching the boy as he began muttering under his breath. With her anger beginning to quickly spike, she marched towards where Karma was sat, grabbing his shoulders making him forcibly turn to face her head on.

"WHAT THE HEL-" Karma started to shout, before being cut of by the the girl's temper.

"EXCUSE ME?!" she spat, her eyes blazed with fury, "IF YOU HAD ONE MORE BLOODY BRAIN CELL, YOU COULD HAVE **CLEARLY** SEEN THAT I WAS TRYING TO MAKE OUR RELATIONSHIP LESS AWKWARD FOR THE BOTH OF US!"

"YOU COME ONTO ME, GOING ON ABOUT HOW I RUINED EVERYTHING FOR YOU AND WHEN I TRY TO APOLOGISE, YOU RESPOND WITH SOME GOD **AWFUL** INSULT THAT I WOULD HAVE FOUND IN MY GRANDMA'S **TRASH CAN**!"

"CAN YOU NOT SEE THAT I DON'T GIVE A FLYING **TOSS** ABOUT WANTING TO BECOME FRIENDS OR EVEN ON SPEAKING TERMS WITH SOMEONE LIKE YOU?"

"I JUST WANTED FOR US TO BECOME **CIVIL** AND ACT LIKE **NORMAL PEOPLE** , SO I SWEAR TO GOD, IF YOU GLARE AT ME ONCE MORE OR TELL ME TO FUCK OFF AGAIN, I WILL **LITERALLY** END UP RIPPING OF YOUR **STUPID** PERIOD COLOURED HAIR AND SHOVING IT DOWN YOUR THROAT-"

Suddenly, Katsuna's foot slipped on a bit of moss growing on the side of the tree trunk. She lost her balance, falling over the side of the cliff. Katsuna widened her eyes, meeting Karma's equally surprised expression, as the gravity began to take over. She squeezed her eyes shut, bracing for impacting.

.....

......

.........

_Why aren't I falling?_

"OPEN YOUR EYES YOU IDIOT!"

_That's Karma's voice._

Katsuna blinked her eyes open, focusing on the warmth on her wrist. Karma had gripped onto her just in time, the sweat running down his trembling arm as he tried, with all his might, to pull her up.

"Grab onto the trunk...... with.... your other hand!" he gasped, "I don't think..... I can hang on.... much longer!"

Katsuna nodded, barely processing her position as she tried to reach the rough bark with her loose hand. With every push, Karma was being pulled down inch by inch. He tried to steady his balance, using the strength in his legs and core to help somewhat stabilize his position on the branch. With this maneuver, he was able to reach down with his left hand and help grip onto Katsuna's loose arm.

Karma gritted his teeth together with the sweat pouring off his forehead, putting his whole body strength into lifting the girl up from the danger that laid below.

It was just enough for Katsuna to become level with the branch, enabling her to remove one arm from Karma's grip. Then, using her elbow, she began to push down hard and managed to wiggle her chest and then stomach over the tree trunk.

Sighing in relief, Karma sat back down on the branch, watching in amusement as Katsuna tried to safely shift herself 90 degrees, so she could sit with the trunk between her legs.

"Y-You're such an idiot!" Karma huffed, attempting to slower his breathing, "Are you trying to kill yourself?"

"O-of course not," Katsuna puffed, her voice tinged with annoyance, "Do you think I'm stupid or something?"

"As a matter of fact I do," Karma replied, sweeping his sweaty hair back with his hand, "That was one hell of a close call."

"Whatever," Katsuna muttered, "Let's just get off this branch before it-"

CRACK!

The pair whipped their heads in perfect sync to look at where the branch was connected to the cliff. There, right at the base of the trunk, was a huge crack. The bark was barely hanging onto itself from were it had been weakened from all the pressure the two had placed on it. The pair looked at each other, the terror in one of their eyes mirroring the other's, as they anticipated the next few seconds.

SNAP!

The two began free fall down the side of the cliff, screaming as fragments of their past memories flashed into their minds.   
  
  


**_A women smiling down at her, holding a teddy bear._ **

**_The fear on that same women's face as she was thrown to the ground._ **

**_A mixture of desperation and sadness clouding her features as the women put her finger on her lips._ **

**_The devastated look on her grandma's face._ **

**_A sadistic smile of a strawberry blonde haired boy._ **

**_The joy shown on her fellow classmates faces._ **

**_A grin from an octopus._ **   
  
  


_I guess... I was destined to die early._

_But I don't care._

_Just let it be over._   
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


_._

_.._

_..._

_._..."na."...

_Huh?_

..........."suna!"............

_What?_

.............."KATSUNA!"  
  
  


Katsuna winced her eyes open, the sharp light hitting her golden-green irises harshly. She went to move her hand to her face in an attempt to sheltered her eyes from the bright sun, but found that something was restricting her movement.

She moved her head to the side slowly, peering through the small slits made with her eye-lids. Her vision steadily began to focus, allowing her to see the thick yellow tentacles that cushioned her fall...

WAIT?

TENTACLES!??!?!?

"Why, welcome back Katsuna!" Koro-sensei beamed, his voice as light and happy as ever, "Quite a tumble you both took there."

"H-how did you...." Katsuna stammered, completely astonished at her situation.

"I knew your body couldn't take being plucked out of free-fall at the speed of sound," Koro-sensei explained, "So i used my tentacles as a sort of bouncy sticky net in order to save you two."

"He's really something huh," Karma sighed, stuck to the tentacles beside her "But how did you know when to catch us and before that, where we were?"

"E-erm w-well you s-see c-children," Koro-sensei spluttered, not wanting to give away his pride.

"I don't think I even want to know," Katsuna groaned, "Now can you please release me from these tentacles, their texture is making me incredibly uncomfortable!"

"Oh of course," the teacher replied, grateful for the distraction.

~~~~~~~

"You know what," Karma snickered quietly to Katsuna, "I bet he was looking at some nudes from a porno magazine."

"You're probably right," Katsuna chuckled, "I don't think I can see Koro-sensei as anything but a dirty old man now."

"HEY WAIT- NO- KARMA STOP S-SPREADING L-LIES!"

"K-KATSUNA HOLD ON- I'M STILL YOU'RE R-RESPECTABLE T-TEACHER RIGHT?"

The pair turned back to Koro-sensei with the same disgusted look on their faces, making Koro-sensei shriek.

"MY S-STUDENTS NO COME BACK, I-IT'S NOT POLITE TO S-SPREAD LIES ABOUT L-LIL OLD MEEEE!"  
  
  



	10. Enter: Irina Jelavic

After the cliff incident, Karma's persistent attempts at assassinating Koro-sensei had decreased. This allowed their teacher 's guard to lower, enabling the other students to start planning out their attacks once more. 

"This one is going to be great!" Maehara exclaimed, high fiving Isogai with glee. The pair had successfully balanced a tub of anti-sensei bb's between the door and the frame. Their plan was for their teacher to walk into the room, in the process dislodging the tub and therefore making it tobble over onto his head, melting his skin. 

The rest of the class listened out for the movement's of the octopus, soon hearing the sliterhing of this tentacles across the floor. 

"Here he comes," Isogai whispered with excitement, quickly sitting in his chair just as his teacher entered the door. 

AND NOW!

The box of bbs fell as the door swung open, however, it wasn't Koro-sensei in the line of fire. 

The students watched in horror as the bbs hit a stunning blonde-haired women as she set foot into the classroom, squealing in surprise. 

"What the hell???!" she wailed, lifting her arms above her head to help shelter her head. 

Koro-sensei followed in after her, his usual yellow cheeks tinged pink with infatuation. 

" _Koro-sensei~_ " the women cried, leaping into the octopus's chest, pushing her own into the perverted teacher, " _Oh Koro-sensei, thank goodness you're here, I was so scared~_ "

The class watched in a mixture of surprise and discomfort as she clutched onto his tentacle, dishing out compliments and after compliments. 

"HOLY FRIGGIN CHRIST!" the boy with the shaved hair declared, "LOOK AT THE TITS ON HER!" 

"Shut up Okajima!" the girl beside him snapped, "Don't you think it's weird at all the fact that she's all over Koro-sensei?"

" _I wish she was all over me..._ " Okajima whined, his head in his hands as the blood began trickle down his nose. 

"You're a lost cause...." Hayami sighed, shaking her head.

"Meet our newest edition to the staff here in Class 3-E," Karasuma announced, finally entering the room, gathering the student's attention. 

The attractive women turned her face away from Koro-sensei's and beamed at the class, "I'm Irina Jelavic, it's a pleasure to meet you all!"

"For a lady who just got hit with a ton of bbs, she's pretty damn happy," Katsuna muttered, sensing something fishy about the situation. 

"We are introducing Irina Jelavic to teach in the language arts department," Karasuma continued, "Not to worry though, she is well qualified for her position so there should be no issues." 

"Hey _Klutzuna_ ," the crimson haired boy whispered, snickering lightly. 

Katsuna scowled in distaste at the new nickname Karma had been teasing her with recently. 

" _Klutzunaaa~_ " he nagged, " _K-lu-zu-naa-_ "

"What!?" the black haired girl shot. 

"Jeez, no need to milk ya tits over it," Karma scoffed, "That's if you had any." 

"How long did it take for you to come up with that one?" she taunted, slightly offended. 

"Oh come on, it's a joke not a dick," the boy rolled his eyes, "Don't take it so hard." 

"I'm sorry, I couldn't head you over the voice in my head screaming bullshit!" Katsuna grumbled, agitated from the consistent insults.

"It must be difficult for you," he replied, feigning sympathy, "Exhausting your entire vocabulary in one sentence." 

"Hey look, there goes last fuck I gave."

"Idiot!"

"Moron!"

"Freak!"

"Twat!"

"Scumba-"

"Can you please take your lovers squabble somewhere else?!" Sousuke interjected, "I'm trying to concentrate." 

" **LOVERS?!** " the pair exclaimed, the disgust evident in their voices. 

"You couldn't pay me enough to even touch this one mate," Karma snorted, pretending to heave. 

Katsuna cringed at his immature display, "Is that the best you've got?" 

She dropped to the floor, violently pretending to throw up, clutching her heart in pain whilst making ungodly noises. 

Karma huffed, clearly ticked off that his acting skills were beaten. 

"Just shut up, both of you," Sousuke grunted ,turning back to the front. 

The girl smirked at the boy beside her, flipping the red head off in victory. 

" _Oh my goodness, your tentacles are so long and slippery, I never want to let go~_ " 

The women was still latched onto Koro-sensei, pouring out her compliments as she squealed girlshly. 

"You don't ever have to let go _Madam_ ," Koro-sensei swooned grinning like a perverted old man. His face was now completely lit up pink as he stared down at her "assets". 

" _He's in paradise_ ," the class sighed. 

"Her being here though," Katsuna speculated, "Probably means there's more to this than meets the eyes." 

Her days in Class 3-E have just become that much more interesting. 

~~~~~~~~~

"He seems pretty caught off guard by her, let's try and use this to our advantage," Nagisa concluded, gesturing towards to couple on the field. 

The two teachers had been attached to the hip since she arrived, Koro-sensei now giving Irina his special tentacle-foot massage as they sat on the grass bank. 

"I guess one of Koro-sensei's major weaknesses is **boobs** ," Rio mentioned, munching down on her lunch. 

Nagsia nodded in agreement, grabbing his pen and jotting it down in his flipbook for later use.

"It's a shame, I thought he'd be above that sort of thing, being a creature who just destroyed 3/4 of the moon and all," Kaede sighed, "It just doesn't make sense." 

"He's a weird one, I'll give him that," Sugino commented, "Coming here and teaching a bunch of junior high kids how to keep up with algebra whilst encouraging them to kill him...." 

"He's definitely got an odd set of priorities." Katsuna finished. 

The group exhaled, watching as the PDA continued. 

"Hey look, it seems he's making a move," Kaede spoke up, observing as Koro-sensei flew into the air. 

"I'm going to go talk with her," Nagisa announced, standing up. 

"I'll come with," Katsuna added, "I'm curious to know what she's up too." 

The pair left there lunches in the safety of the other group members, striding towards the blonde haired women. 

"Hey, Miss Jelavic right?" Nagisa called, gathering her attention. 

"What's up kid, I'm busy?" 

The two students were taken back by her 180 attitude. 

The women's innocent lovey dovey composure was now replaced with a bitter sophisticated counterpart. 

"Oh I understand now," Katsuna acknowledged, "So you're actually a professional assassin trained in the art of seduction to gain the trust of your victims, very clever I must say, Miss Jelavic." 

"Yeah yeah," the blonde haired assassin said, waving off the comment, "Now if you excuse me, I have some business to take care off." 

She began travelling towards Nagisa, a sense of determination sparked in her eyes. Her perfectly manicured hands reached out, placing them on either sides of his face before leaning in close to the boy. 

Katsuna watched in a mix of astonishment and respect as the women pushed her lips onto him. 

_1 hit_

"Holy crap, get a load of this action!" Karma exclaimed, running over to catch a glimpse of the two. 

_15 hits._

The class turned their heads as they saw the display, their mouths gaping wide. 

_25 hits._

Nagisa's mind was running out of steam, trying to process his situation. 

_30 hits._

He was a goner. 

Miss Jelavic finally let go of the boy in her clutches, watching as he crumbled to the ground. 

"Do me a favour and show me everything you got on Koro-sensei," she smirked, "And that goes for every one of you brats!" 

She turned to face the entrance of the mountain path just as a bunch of muscular men appeared, carrying what looked like heavy artillery weapons. 

"Now stand back and watch as the professional's do their job like good little dogs." 

The class watched in shock as the trained assassin began to discuss her plans for killing the octopus with her co-workers. 

It would have been cool to watch... if she wasn't such a **bitch**.

"She's never going to be able to do this herself," Katsuna muttered, turning away from the scene to face Karma, "Even if she is a pro."

"Wow, you know, I really love it when you state the obvious with that asserted confidence," the red head sniggered in reply. 

Katsuna felt the heat begin to rise to her face, glaring at the boy in front of her in a mixture of anger and embarrassment, "Piss off idiot!" 

"Woah woah, getting a little fiesty are we?" 

"Hmph!" the girl turned away from Karma, diverting her attention to Kaede who was still in a state of shock from Nagisa's kiss. 

"Alright Kaede?" Katsuna asked, worried if her friend had suddenly turned into a statue. 

"Y-yea, she j-just.. I c-can't.. h-how.." 

"Seems she's got a little thing for the guy," Karma snickered as he leant into Katsuna's ear. 

"No-one asked you, jerk," Katsuna retorted but after seeing the green haired girl's state, she was beginning to agree. 

~~~~~~~

Returning to the classroom, Miss Jelavic had used her time to teach the students as a silent study period instead. She sat at the front, scrolling on her tablet as the class stared at her in slight annoyance. 

All of a sudden a piece of paper began flying over the students, hitting the women in the face. 

"You little brats!" the teacher yelled, "Which one of you just did that? Can't you see I'm busy!"

"Oi Miss Bitch," Karma shouted from the back of the classroom, a devilish smirk plastered to his face as he gave the irritated teacher a small wave, "Shouldn't you be teaching us right now instead, you know, like the teacher you're supposed to be." 

"I agree Miss Jelabitch," Sousuke called out, the class following suit as the bitch insults were thrown at the teacher. 

Visible pissed off veins popped out of the women's head as the students chewed her out. 

"ENOUGH!" she screamed, slamming her hands down on the desk in front of her.

"IT'S JELA **VIC** NOT JELA **BITCH** , GET THAT THROUGH YOUR THICK SKULLS FOR THE NEXT HOUR QUIETLY WHILST I DO MY JOB!"

_Shittest class ever._

"Hey Klutzuna, watch this." Karma whispered. 

Katsuna swore she could see a pair of horns on the red head.. it must have been her imagination. She observed as Karma reached into his bag, retrieving a remote control and something that looked like some sort of insect... a spider? 

"Why does he even have that in his bag?" Katsuna began to ponder before putting the pieces together and realising what the crimson haired boy had in store. 

_Oh no._

_But... Oh yes!_

She watched as Karma placed the remote-controlled spider on the floor silently, pressing the forward button. The spider sped off in the direction of the teacher, it going unnoticed by the other students. 

Upon finally reached the front desk, Karma snickered, pressing the middle button. Katsuna watched in surprise as the spider leapt up onto the desk, it still being overlooked up Miss Jelabitch. 

_Now for the finishing move._

With the devilish red head pressing the buttons, the spider sped forward, leaping right onto the teacher's tablet in perfect sight. 

The blonde women let out a blood curdling shriek, jumping into the air as she flung her tablet across the floor. 

The students looked up just in time to see the lady land flat on her ass, the class erupting in howls of laughter as she scrambled around in fright. 

"Y-you SICK BASTARDS!!" she screeched, rising to her feet and storming out the classroom, slamming the door behind her. 

Karma was on the floor, having fallen off as he was laughing in hysterics, "Ahh, that trick never fails to get a reaction!" 

"I guess the guy can be funny.. when his remarks aren't focused on me of course.." Katsuna thought, glancing at the boy beside her, "I'll hand that to you." 


	11. Karma vs Katsuna

"Right, I'll be paring everyone up in accorance to similar strengths ," Karasuma announced. 

"Today's lesson is all about showing off your hand to hand combat skills in a one on one duel." 

The class was gathered together on the field outside the wooden campus. Their previous lesson with Miss Jelabitch was pretty underwhelming after Karma's prank so they were excited to finally let off a bit of steam. 

Katsuna pondered on who she would be paired with whilst waiting for her name to be called. 

Maybe Rio... or Sugino? 

They were of similar heights and stature, so it was a possibility. 

"...Kanzaki and Sugino, Nakamura and Kataoka..." Karasuma continue to list off the names of the class. 

"I guess not then," Katsuna sighed, wondering who else was left. She scanned her surroundings, everyone was paired up except for her and.... 

_Oh friggin chicken balls._

"Akabane and Katsuna."

The red head wandered over to the girl who was knelt down in despair.

_WHY GOD?_

_WHY ME?_

"Finally, a chance to win back my name as the strongest in the class." Karma stated, narrowing his eyes at Katsuna with fierce confidence. 

"Excuse me?!" she scoffed, "There is no way I'm letting someone like you show me down." 

"We'll just have to see about that," the red head dared. 

"I guess we will." 

Lightning bolts shot between the pair as their eyes met, both feeling the same conviction of victory. 

"Each pair will step up in front of the class and demonstrate their skills whilst the rest observes." Karasuma dictated, "You will have a time limit of 3 minutes, however if I sense the fight is getting out of control, I will not hesitate to jump in and break it up." 

"You may go all out," he continued to lecture, " And the use of anti-sensei knives is encouraged, I have dipped the tips in paint so you know when you have hit your target." 

He gestured with his hands to the table to the right of the class, filled with anti-sensei knives. 

"The winner of the duel will be chosen by class vote, so watch and judge carefully," their teacher stated, "Are there any questions?" 

The class stayed silent, their eyes buzzing with excitement.

"We'll go in the order of the roll call, so could Akabane and Katsuna both step up to the front." 

After retrieving their anti-sensei knives, the pair strode up to space indicated on the field. 

They bowed before looking at each other in the eyes, neither lowering their guard for an instant. 

_"This might hurt a bit,"_ Karma taunted, watching as Katsuna's smirk only grew. 

**_"Bring it."_ **

"BEGIN!"

The pair launched themselves at each other. Katsuna started by swinging her right leg around, barley missing Karma's torso as he jumped back, relying soleing on his instincts. 

_She's fast._

Katsuna gritted her teeth, shifting her weight just as her right leg touched the ground, following through with the left. Karma quickly turned side-on, allowing the leg to pass over his shoulder. 

This move had left Katsuna wide open for attack.

As her leg was in mid-air, he swung his fists forward, connecting with the girls stomach, leaving her mildly winded. Katsuna bit her tongue, forcing her focus back onto Karma as he swung his arm forward once more. She crouched, his fist narrowly missing her chest. 

Twisting her legs, she spun around, allowing her to form some momentum as she performed an uppercut with her right fist. Karma brought his arms up fast, shielding his head from the vicious attack, before slicing his right arm horizontally towards Katsuna's face. 

Instinctively, the girl ducked below, making Karma spin around and slam the same arm down. Katsuna leapt back as she watched the fist scarcely missing her skull. 

_He's strong._

The pair both straightened up, regaining their posture, briefly exchanging smiles of exhilaration. Karma threw his rise fist forward, the girl leaning back as it flew over her. She kicked her right leg up, only grazing the boy's uniform as he leant to the side. 

Biting his lip, Karma punched forward again, Katsuna narrowly dodging as she straightened her hand open, attempting to knock her opponent out with a hit to the neck. Karma ducked, her hand slicing the air over him as he came up by her side, pushing her open arm with incredibly force. Katsuna was barely able to follow his movements, only being able to slightly thrust her head back as the boy attempted to hit her head. She plunged herself to the ground, using her hands to support her weight as she brought her left leg around to connect with Karma's hip. 

_Fuck._

He snapped his jaw close in pain, returning his focus to the girl in front of him just in time to dodge her other leg as it was shoved into the air. Katsuna jumped up fast, slicing her hand through the air as Karma shifted his body weight around as he turned. He crouched, swiveling on his foot, before using putting all his force in his leg and connecting it with Katsuna's side, knocking the girl to the floor. 

_Crap._

Karma took this opportunity to propel himself forward, lifting his leg up before stomping it down. Katsuna just about managed to adjust her eyes to the attack, quickly log rolling to the side on the ground before flinging her legs into the air. They came crashing down on the ground, summoning up enough force for her to leap back up and continue the fight. The red head swung his leg forward, attempting to hit the girl again on her side but Katsuna leapt forward, the leg just missing its intended target. 

She spun herself to face the boy, leaping onto one leg as sh kicked forward with the other. Karma leant backwards, waiting till her back was turned to side his opponent. Katsuna saw this as a chance to use her knife, ducking the boy's leg attack before launching herself up into the air and slicing the knife downwards. The paint stained Karma's cheek, making the boy smirk with hint of insanity. Katsuna jabbed her knife backwards, attempting to hit him in the neck, but the boy leapt back, lifting both arms up into a guarded position. 

The girl tried again, first slashing horizontally right and then left, grimacing as Karma doged both attacks. He retrieved his own knife, blocking her third slice, as he met eyes with the girl. He licked his lips as Katsuna shot him a sassy look. He swung his arm up, breaking the contact between the two as Katsuna was forced to leap back. She threw her knife into the air as she ducked under Karma's second swing before straightening up and catching it in one hand. 

_Ha._

Karma shot her an unimpressed look, watching as just the girl rolled her eyes in reply. The two propelled themselves towards each other for a final time, Katsuna raising her leg high and Karma crouched low, his fist forming an uppercut. Each attack was sure to hit its mark, its accuracy guaranteed as it came closer and closer towards their individual targets. 

It'll be all over after this attack. 

_**I WILL WIN!** _

Suddenly an extra pair of hands gripped onto each student, slamming them hard to the ground. 

_It was all over._

Karasuma peered down at the two gasping wide eyed students at his feet in astonishment. He'd never seen such a display of young talent ever before in all of his years of working as a agent. 

_"These kids.."_

The teacher looked back up at the equally surprised faces of his class, determining the result of this fight with his own judgement. 

"It's a **draw**." 


	12. You're such a bitch!

"TIMES UP!"

Mimura and Yada collapsed to the floor, both exhausted from the high level training. They were the final pair to compete in Karasuma's physical education challenge. 

"Now for the class vote," Katasuna peered down at the group of students sat on the bank, outside the woden campus.

He counted the number of hands held up for each student before announcing the winner. 

"Yada wins," he declared, "Class dismissed." 

As the class began to break up into scatters of chatter, Katsuna stormed her way over to Karasuma, quickly followed by a certain redhead with equal determination. 

"Sir, I don't see how it was a draw,"the girl began, gesturing to the boy beside her, "Clearly I got more hits on the guy, doesn't that make me more capable??" 

"Yeah, you may have slightly grazed me with that knife, but I sent you flying in that attack," Karma counted, "And the scrapes on your knees proves it!"

"Enough both of you," Karasuma demanded, silencing the pair.

"The reason why I ended your fight as a draw was because Katsuna, you displayed exceptional technique and strength in your core and legs."

"However," Karasuma continued to explain, "Karma, you showed more technique and force in your upper body not to mention an incredibly ability to judge where your opponent will strike next." 

"Instead of arguing with each other, I suggest to train together more often as you will then gain more control in your weaker parts." 

With that said, Karasuma walked away, leaving the two student's to glare daggers at each other. 

"Hey look," Mimura pointed, breaking the tension between the pair, "The octopus is really falling for it." 

The rest of the students followed his line of sight, watching as Bitch-sensei lead him into the storage shed beside their campus. 

"I seriously can't believe this," Sosuke sighed. 

"What if she actually manages to kill him?" Maehara questioned.

"I wouldn't worry about it," Nagisa answered, his eyes filled with certainty as the teachers entered the building. 

There was a moment of silence among the students as the doors to the shed closed, the anticipation gripping the class. 

All of a sudden, an eruption of gun fire exploded, jolting the student's into a rigid position. 

All eyes were on the storage shed as bullets shot through the building's walls.

10 seconds passed of insane gun fire, the mix of horror and curiosity was engraved every face. 

Finally, it stopped.

The whole area surrounding the shed was covered in gray smoke, making it hard of the student's to see what was going to happen next.

_Did she do it?_

_Did she actually kill him?_

Just then, a high pitched scream was heard, followed with a series of slithering sounds. 

The class paced towards the shed, hesitating to open its doors, not knowing what horrors awaited them on the other side.

" _Nooooo~_ " 

....

" _Ohhhhh~_ "

...

......

.......

**_"What the hell is he doing?!"_ **

Okajima stormed into the shed, unable to take the restrictions from the sexual boundaries any longer.

Koro-sensei was stood in the middle of the room, a wide grin was spread across his pink face. The strolled past the students, allowing them to catch a glimpse of the blonde haired women on the floor quivering. 

"What did you end up doing to her?" Maehara puzzled, observing his new teacher, "Wait?"

"Did you stuff her into that retro gym outfit?!" 

Sure enough, the students noticed how Miss Bitch was now wearing a pair of dark navy gym shorts, with the white t-shirt tucked in, as well as a red headband. 

"Y-you have no idea... h-his tentacles.. o-oh god.." she managed, her cheeks tinged pink in ecstasy. 

"Koro-senseiii~ I didn't know you were into that kind of stuff," Karma snickered, "You really are a dirty old man." 

"I have no idea what you're talking about," Koro-sensei replied nochantely, his face completely blank as he stared off to the side. 

" _Right...._ " the class sighed.

"How did you even manage to escape that one?" Maehara asked, "It looked like she had you." 

"Ahhh~ well you see class," Koro-sensei began, gesturing with his tentacles as he spoke, "This uncreative women you see before you thought she could kill me by ambushing me with lead bullets." 

"However," the octopus continued, the green stripes appearing on his face, "Lead bullets have no effect on me, in fact, once inside me, they melt!" 

"I see.." Nagisa commented, jotting the notes in his flipbook. 

"Anyway, come on, back to lesson!" Koro-sensei exclaimed, "The class isn't going to teach itself!"

The student's followed their teacher back to the wooden campus, leaving Miss Jelabitch on the group in utter humiliation on the ground. 

" _That ignorant octopus will get what's coming to him,_ " she seethed, already conjuring ideas for her next attempt. 

~~~~~~~

Back in class, the student's sighed as Miss Bitch used her lesson as a study period once again. 

The women was angrily tapping on her tablet, searching for new equipment and crew so she could take revenge on Koro-sensei. 

"Excuse Miss, if you're not going to teach us anything," Isogai commented, catching the brief attention of his supposed teacher, "Do you mind if Koro-sensei takes over?"

"It's just we have exams coming up soon and-"

"You have to be joking right?" Miss Jelabitch sneered, cutting the class rep off, "As if any of you will ever get somewhere in life anyway."

"You're just a bunch of nobodies, and a lesson from a deranged octopus or a establish pro like me isn't going to change the fact that you'll never be something important, ever." 

"Now, stop talking to me and-" 

Just then, a pencil was thrown, barely grazing the teacher's face as she stopped talking in surprise. 

"Huh?" she gasped as she was met with a tsunami of death glares, the blood lust rising out of control. 

"Get out." Maehara growled, his menacing voice catching Miss Bitch off guard. 

An eruption of classroom utensils was thrown at her, the classroom shouting insult after insult as Irina Jelavic stumbled back, cowering under the harsh gaze. 

"YOU BITCH!"

"HOW DARE YOU!"

"She's really done it now," Karma smirked, glancing over to Katsuna as she just watched the commotion with her head in her hands. 

"Well what did she expect," the girl muttered in reply, observing as the teacher stormed out of the class, "Those were some brutal remarks that I'm sure hit the class close to home."

"It's something they've heard all time from other students whilst being in Class 3-E." 

Katsuna turned her head, gazing at Karma.

"But nothing can touch the _great Karma Akabane_ ," she smirked, her voice tinged with sarcasm. 

"What about you, I don't see you throwing anything?" the boy questioned, his curiosity spiked. 

Katsuna's smirk dropped, averting her gaze towards to front.

"I guess, it doesn't bother me as much because I know I can surpass her expectation," she mumbled, "Excuse me." 

Karma watched as she stood up and made her way towards the door to the classroom. 

_What's up with her?_

~~~~~~~

Following the familiar woodland trail, Katsuna began to let her mind wander once again. 

The same thought kept crossing her mind.. 

_I don't want to betray them._

She bit her lip whilst listing her only options. 

Either:

\- She continued to report back to the principal, allowing him to sabotage E class and keep her father in jail 

**Or**

\- She lie to the principal, allowing E class to strive through and become stronger, which may finally knock down the segregated wall... but also let her father out

_I-I don't know what to do._

She crouched down, hugging her knees tightly into her chest. Her head fell down as she began rocking back and forth. 

_Mum..._

_If you were still here..._

_What would you do?_


	13. An Apology

_I-I don't know what to do._

She crouched down, hugging her knees tightly into her chest. Her head fell down as she began rocking back and forth.

_Mum..._

_If you were still here..._

_What would you do?_

~~~~~~~~~

"Oi, what do you think you're doing?" 

The voice startled Katsuna, making her lose her balance on her feet and toppling over. 

She quickly wiped her damped eyes.

"What are you doing more like Karma?" she replied nochantley, "Creeping up on a girl, what are you? A perv?" 

"Yeah, you wish I'd even remotely see you as attractive," Karma shot, scratching the back of his head in boredom. 

Katsuna stood up, doing a quick final check on her face before turning towards the redhead, 

"You're such an ass, why are you here anyway?" 

"You think I'd let you just walk off while in a middle of a conversation with me," Karma scoffed, "I'm the one who should be cutting you off." 

"Christ, you're as petty as ever," Katsuna sighed, not in the mood for his antics, "Well you can leave now, I wouldn't mind one bit."

"But you saying that now defeats the whole point," the redhead huffed, "Jeez you're annoying." 

"And yet you're still here," the girl mumbled, wandering back to the wooden campus with Karma following. 

"By the way, you need to get better at hiding your emotions," Karma commented, looking off to the side in contempt, "It's clearly obvious you've been crying." 

"Yeah, and what's it to you?!" Katsuna snapped, facing back to the boy in a mixture of anger and embarrassment. 

"Oh calm down idiot, as if I cared enough to ask," Karma grunted, shoving his hands in his pockets. 

Katsuna gritted her teeth in annoyance but she knew he was right. 

_As if he did._

She took a deep breath, soothing her mood into a natural state. 

"Don't go around saying anything," the girl half demanded, half pleaded. 

"Whatever, I might see you as a enemy, but I'm no snitch" Karma mumbled.

The pair finally reached the field surrounding the E Class campus. They noticed that the other student's were playing a game of badminton, having taped a picture of Koro-sensei's face on the shuttlecock. 

"Hey Karma," Katsuna muttered, "If you were ever in a situation were it felt like there was no escape, how would you get out?" 

Karma stood in silence, his mind beginning to think. 

"Ahh nevermind, it was a stupid ques-"

"I'd forge my own route, even if I have to suffer some sort of consequence later."

"There's no way I'd let anyone rule my life but **me**."

"Huh, I see.." the girl murmured in reply. 

_If only it was that simple._

"I'm surprised you understood," Karma snickered, his infamous smirk returning, "I thought I'd need to get the crayons out." 

"Of course you'd get crayons out," Katsuna taunted, chuckling at the boy, "I mean, you are what? Like 5 years old?" 

"Then what are you doing here if I'm so below you?" the redhead jeered. 

"You're the one who came up to me if I remember correctly," the black haired girl responded, tapping her finger on her cheek as if she was thinking hard. 

"I think your memory's turned to mush because I quite distinctly remember you coming up to me," he chuckled playfully. 

"You know full well what's the truth, don't play dumb," Katsuna laughed. 

"Yeah yeah, whatever stupid," Karma smiled. 

The pair's laughs died down as an awkward tension between the two started to show. 

Karma cleared his throat, turning his head away as he scratched the back of his head.

"I gonna ditch next period, so don't expect me to be there." 

"As if I'd notice someone like you missing anyway." 

"Whatever. I'm leaving now, I've wasted enough of my time hanging around with you."

"Finally. Now I can get some peace and quiet."

"Idiot." 

"Asshole." 

As the bell signalled the end of lunch, the two quickly marched away in opposite directions, their moods returning to a sour state. 

~~~~~~~~~

Upon sitting down in their chairs, the class waited for their lesson to start. 

_Karma really did skip out huh.._

Katsuna found her mind pondering on the redhead before slapping her face. 

"Stop thinking about that ass and concentrate on your work!" she yelled at herself, just as the door swung open. 

The student's watched in distaste as Miss Jelabitch shuffled into the classroom, however, this time, there was something different about her attitude. 

She reached and grabbed the piece of chalk sitting on the teacher's desk, before starting to write on the blackboard. The sound carried throughout the silent classroom, the tension thick. After stepping back from the board, the student's read the statement their teacher had just wrote. 

_You're incredible in bed._

"What word does 'incredible' modify?" Bitch-sensei asked to the class, a sense of confidence glittering in her eyes. 

"Err- 'bed'?" Isogai answered, embarrassed by the example she'd provided. 

"Correct." the women went on, "You see, I was once in a situation where I had to seduce an important member of the English government." 

"'Incredible in bed' is what he said to me," Miss Jelabitch explained, "So in this case, the adjective 'incredible' makes the noun, 'bed' stand out more." 

The class listened, completely depanned by the words coming out of their teacher's mouth.

_THAT'S THE EXAMPLE SHE USES??!_

"I know grammar seems dull and repetitious, but it really does help when conversing with your target," she expanded, "It helps you understand how your target is feeling, allowing you to take advantage of them." 

"The examples may be a little inappropriate, but they're coming from real world experience, which is the best thing for you in this case." 

"So this is how I'm going to put it, if you think I'm not cut out to be a teacher or whatever, then fine, I'll leave," Miss Jelavic stated, becoming a little embarrassed, "So this ought make use okay now right?" 

"Oh and umm.. I'm sorry, for being ya know... such a bitch." 

The class was in complete shock from their teacher's 180 mood swing. They began to erupt in laughter, barely noticing their teacher's look of surprise. 

Her apology accompanied with her small embarrassed look, how could they not forgive her?

"Are you giving me a chance?" the teacher quietly gasped, her voice turning into a high squeal. 

"Well, with this attitude, you're a much more convincing teacher," Isogai shared, "So why not?" 

"So what do we call her?" Yada asked. 

"Well, I don't mind being called Irina, if that's okay with-"

"Ahh no, I don't think it's going to work out unless we have bitch somewhere in there," Maehara chuckled, watching as their teacher's smile quickly turned into a scowl. 

"What about Professor Bitch?" Hinano announced, "That's kinda classy right?" 

"Yeah I like that, Professor Bitch!" Rio giggled. 

"That settles it, Professor Bitch all the way-" 

"OH MY GOD ENOUGH!" Professor Bitch shrieked, returning to normal.

"I HATE YOU ALL SO MUCH!!"


	14. The Assembly

"Hey Katsuna, want to be lab partners today?" Nagisa called, smiling as the girl nodded. 

The class had broken up into chatter as they waited for their lesson to start. 

"Okay, you ready boys?" Maehara exclaimed, thrusting his anti-sensei knife into the middle as Okajima and Mimura followed suit. 

"To killing Koro-sensei!" they cheered, their hands rising into the air. 

"He's coming," Sugino announced as he peered his head round the door. Koro-sensei was carrying the lab equipment along with Isogai and Kataoka, the two students distracting him with conversation as they drew nearer to the classroom. 

Maehara quickly hid behind the door frame, just in time for Koro-sensei to slither in. 

In a flash, the orange haired boy horizontally sliced the air, launching his knife towards his teacher. However, Koro-sensei disappeared, slipping past the boy using his mach 20 speed, leaving the boy in surprise. 

The two other boys ambushed their teacher, knives in hand as they attempted to corner him. Koro-sensei grinned, passing them with ease and began prepping for his lesson. The attacks kept coming, the boys running and missing their teacher by inches until they finally collapsed in the corner of the room in exhaustion. 

"He didn't just seriously dodge all of us whilst setting up lab did he..." Maehara gasped, worn out from the running. 

"Dammit, I thought this plan was going to work.." Okajima wailed. 

"It was _wayyyy_ too obvious," Karma commented, snickering at the boys failure, "He would have expected something like that from a mile away." 

"And yet I still don't see the octopus dead with your knife in him," Katsuna muttered, making the redhead turn in around and glare at her. 

"Now now class," Koro-sensei lectured, grabbing the chalk with his tentacle before writing the learning objective, "Lesson's starting, so can everyone take their seats." 

The boys slumped into their designated seats in a huff, watching as their teacher turned to face his class. 

"Today we're extracting colouring from processed food!" 

" _Great.._ " the class sighed. 

"And I'll be taking the leftovers if that's all good, yes? Great!!" he went on, his face beaming. 

"What are the chances that the only reason for this lesson is so he can feed his sugar addiction?" Katsuna whispered to Nagisa, a small bead of sweat dripping on her face. 

The boy chuckled lightly, "I'd say about 100%." 

Just then, Okuda stood up, alerting the class in interest as they wondered what she was going to do. Okuda was someone who doesn't usually speak up, so it was a surprise to watch her stand out from the crowd. 

The girl wandered to the front of the class, glancing at the ground nervously before speaking up.

"I-I," she stammered, unsure on how to get her words out, "P-poison Sir, can you consume it.. please?"

_EH?_

Koro-sensei was taken aback from the strange request, the rest of the students following suit. 

"Well she definitely likes the direct approach huh.." Nagsia stated, observing the girl in pity. 

"I'm not very good at being secretive and sneaky, but I worked really hard on these poisons," Okuda babbled, "So please could you try them?"

"Errrm, well, Okuda," Koro-sensei began, "You know what, why not?" 

_HE'S REALLY GOING TO DO IT??!_

"Well whatcha know.." Karma muttered, watching the situation unfold in curiosity. 

Okuda smiled in glee, handing the first flask of liquid over to her willing teacher. 

"Bottoms up!" Koro-sensei cackled, chugging the mixture in one. As soon as the mixture hit the back of his throat, the teacher lurched forward, clutching his stomach as a series of groans and choking noises passed his lips. 

"Is it working?" Katsuna questioned in surprise, her eyes not leaving the sight of her teachers'. 

"This might finally end him!" Maehara exulted, sat on the edge of his seat.

All of a sudden, the noises stopped and the class noticed the changes in their teacher. The colour of Koro-sensei's face turned bright blue and the creature had grew... horns?! 

"No way..." Katsuna gasped in astonishment as Nagisa was writing everything that occured in his flipbook. 

"He's not dead though.." Isogai sighed in disappointment. 

"That was Sodium Hydroxide wasn't it Okuda?" Koro-sensei queried, "Nice try, but it still lacked the force to kill me." 

"That's okay Sir, I still have two more, if you'd like to try?" the girl replied in excitement. 

"Don't mind if I do," the octopus replied, necking the next liquid. 

"Seriously..." Maehara exhaled, watching has their teacher began to grow wings. 

"Thallium Acetate, wow Okuda, well done!" Koro-sensei praised her efforts, "And now for the last!" 

He drank the chemical liquid in one, the students anticipating the next transformation.

"Maybe he'll grow cat ears.." Hinano guessed. 

"Nah I'm thinking hair," Sosuke interjected. 

"What about an ability to like breathe fire or something!" Okajima exclaimed. 

"You've been watching too much anime..." Hayami murmured. 

Koro-sensei let out a loud shriek, alarming the students to his distress. 

"Wow this is going to be big!"Maehara grinned, his eyes wide with suspense, "I can't wait for this-"

The teacher stopped still, his face completely blank. 

"Talk about a let down," Isogai concluded.

"I don't like this one," Rio revealed, "It's freaking me out." 

"Good job Okuda," Koro-sensei, his voice reduced to low whimper, "I respect your effort completely." 

"A-ha.. thanks Sir," Okuda smiled weakly, disappointed at her failure to kill her teacher. 

"However," Koro-sensei raised his voice slightly, returning to his normal state, "I cannot excuse the fact that you used dangerous chemicals without supervision from a teacher." 

"Sorry Sir, it won't happen again," the girl apologised, bowing to Koro-sensei. 

"It's okay," the octopus encouraged, plopping a tentacle on his students head, "Just next time, let's create a poison together that might have a bit more kick, how about that?"

Okuda peered up to her teacher in surprise, a wide smile stretching across her face.

"Yes! Of course!" 

~~~~~~~~~

"Let's go guys," Isogai announced to the class, standing by the entrance to mountain route, "We need to get a move on if we want to be at the main campus in time." 

"Jeez, what a pain," Katsuna complained, following her class rep into the forest with the rest of the students treading behind. 

It was assembly time at Kunugigaoka Junior High School, one of the rare occasions where Class 3-E is allowed on the main school campus. Due to this, the students from that class have to descend the mountain towards their destination and if they turn up late, punishments will follow. 

Fast forward half an hour, after traipsing over broken bridges and through snake pits and wasp hives, the class finally managed to reach the bottom of the mountain. 

"I'm so glad I didn't draw the short straw this time," Maehara panted, glancing over in pity to where Okajima was collapsed on the ground, covered head to toe in scraps and stings.

"Are they trying to kill us?" Fuwa wheezed, her hands on her knees in fatigue. 

"I wouldn't put it against them," Sugino gulped, taking a breather on the ground. 

"Hurry up people!" Isogai commanded, "They're about to start!"

The students scrambled to their feet and followed the class rep into the main building. 

"It feels like a lifetime ago since I've been here," Katsuna pondered, peering at the other student's with their noses still stuck in books, "And nothing's changed." 

As she observed the sea of students, her eyes met with a certain strawberry-blonde haired boy. 

Asano stood at the otherside of the room, leaning against the wall, surrounded by the other big 5 members. He looked surprised for a moment, biting his lip as he eyed her up. 

It had been longer than he had originally thought since seeing her. Before anyone noticed his staring, he narrowed his eyes, tsking as he averted his gaze. 

"I guess he's still pissed I didn't explain things huh.." Katsuna thought, looking away to the front.

"Hey Nagisa~" a snickering voice called. 

Katsuna glanced to the side, watching as a pair of Class B dirt bags sneered at the blue haired boy. 

"I didn't expect you to be here," one boy continued, "Afterall, that trip down the mountain seemed pretty rough." 

The two boys howled with laughter, leaving Nagisa feeling deflated. 

"Hey don't listen to them," Katsuna whispered, nudging her friend, "With attitudes like that, they won't be getting anywhere in life except a job at a local burger joint."

The pair lightly chuckled, however, the feeling of despair still lingered. 

"Hey Katsuna," Nagisa mumbled, keeping his voice as quiet as possible, "Have you seen Karma?" 

"I would have thought he'd ditched these sorts of things," the girl replied, sighing at the thought of the redhead. 

"Ahh that's what I was thinking," Nagisa answered, "He's going to get in a lot of trouble pulling something like that.." 

"Well the boy fears nothing," Katsuna muttered, "So what's the worst thing they can do?" 

"That's true," the blue haired boy whispered, returning his attention to the front just as the assembly began to start. 

~~~~~

_".....I'm exceptionally proud of each and everyone of you, however.. don't get too cocky, let E class remind us of the consequences of that..."_

_"...allow E class to set an example of what happens when you don't keep up with your grades.."_

_"....now don't laugh at their expense, however, i do pity them.."_

The assembly carried on, remark after remark of disgraceful insults towards Class 3-E and countless eruptions of laughter from the other students. 

"Jeez.. they don't let up do they?" Katsuna thought, gritted her teeth as she noticed the hopelessness and dejection plastered on her classmates faces. 

A sour feeling of hatred crept up inside of her, however it wasn't targeted at the other students, instead herself. She knew she could do something, but with the pressure of her father, there was no way she could bring herself to confront it. 

_I'm a coward._

_~~~~~_

It was nearing the end of the assembly when Katsuna noticed Karasuma-sensei entering the main building. 

Slight whispers of the other students started to be heard.

_"Who's he?"_

_"Damn he's hot."_

Shortly behind Karasuma-sensei was Professor Bitch. Her heels clanked against the floor, her hips swaying side to side with her cleavage on show. 

Needless to say, the gathered the attention of the student body with no effort at all. 

_"Holy crap, she's smoking!"_

_"No fair, is that what Class 3-E teachers look like?"_

_"Christ.. I think I've got a hard on."_

"Right, all the information you'll need for this term will be shown clearly on the handout you have just received," the man at the front of the auditorium declared. 

"Err Sir," Isogai raised his hand, "E Class didn't receive any handouts." 

"Oh, well... that's a shame," the man replied, sniggering at the boy, "I guess Class 3-E will need to memorize everything for this term."

"I bet they did that on purpose.." Okajima seethed under his breath. 

Just then, a sudden gust of wind whipped around the class, the leaflets flying into the hands of the students. 

"There you go team!" Koro-sensei exclaimed, "There should be no problems now!" 

The students turned to the side, in shock, where Koro-sensei was dressed in a ridiculous human costume. 

"What are you doing here?" Karasuma fumed quietly, "You're supposed to be a state secret, remember?!"

"Oh relax," the octopus countered, "This disguise is fool-proof!"

" _Right...._ " Karasuma sighed, rubbing his temples in annoyance. 

"Nevermind, we've got some," Isogai declared, a hint of a smile on his face. 

"W-what? Really?" the man cried in ashtionment, "B-but we made sure you couldn't- ahem... yes sorry, good." 

The class began to chuckle at their teacher's antics, surprising the other students. 

Katsuna smiled to herself, glancing down at the paper in her hands. 

_Maybe there is hope._


	15. The Principal's Visit

The class began to chuckle at their teacher's antics, surprising the other students.

Katsuna smiled to herself, glancing down at the paper in her hands.

_Maybe there is hope._

~~~~~~

The assembly ended in high spirits for Class 3-E for the first time ever. The student body was piling out the main building, chattering to each other about upcoming events and answers to questions.

"Did you see the looks on their faces when Professor Bitch swaltz in?" Maehara laughed, wiping the tears from his eyes as he stepped outside.

"If they only knew what she actually was like," Fuwa giggled, as did the rest of the class.

Katsuna looked up, noticing a peculiar boy standing by the wall, his intense stare calling her over before he walked behind the corner, out of sight.

"I'll catch you guys up," Katsuna hollered, waving as the rest of class E began their trek back up the mountain. 

She turned, retracing the movements of the boy's steps. Upon turning the corner, she stopped in her tracks as the boy leaned up against the wall, crossing his arms in the process. 

He peered down at the girl in front of him and huffed in annoyance.

"Took you long enough."

"As if you didn't have time to spare," she retorted, watching as Asano's scowl deepened, "Look, I only came here to tell you that I was sorry for how I left things back outside the principal's office." 

~~~~~~

_**"What happened?" he questioned, his eyes clouded with curiosity.** _

_**"Let go Asano," Katsuna whispered, too exhausted to explain her situation.** _

_**"Not before you tell me what's going on," Asano pushed, "What did he say?"** _

_**"I said let go!" Katsuna shouted, pulling away from Asano in a hast.** _

**She watched as Asano's eyes widened, taken back up her raised voice. Katsuna took this opportunity to run away from the boy, leaving him in a state of confusion and anger.**

**She didn't dare look back.**

~~~~~~

"I don't need your apology," Asano grunted, "What I want is an explanation because I know **damn** well you don't belong in E Class." 

"I.. I can't tell you the answer to that," Katsuna exhaled before locking her eyes with the boy, "It's none of your business anyway, you don't control me." 

"Oh don't give me that shit," the boy shot, raising his voice, "My father's involved in this right? Does he have some sort of dirt on you that made you get sent there? But it still doesn't make sense... I can't figure it out!"

"Well I've got one for you!" Katsuna countered aggressively, "Why do you care so much?!"

"Because I... I l-" Asano stammered, the words unable to come out. 

"Oh **spit it out**!" the girl cried, gesturing her arms into the air. 

"Because," the boy started, his eyes screaming in desperation before sighing, the passion leaving his eyes, "Because I know my dad's hiding something and I need to get some sort of upper hand on him." 

"So this is all because you have some **major** daddy issues?" Katsuna scowled. 

"I don't have dadd-"

"Yeah whatever, I don't have time for this," the girl seethed, "Just leave me alone!"

"What do you mea-"

"Exactly what I said," Katsuna sighed, "Leave me alone Asano." 

She stormed off, the pounding of her chest deafening her ears.

_I can't escape that family._

Noticing Nagisa just beginning to walk up the mountain route, she made her way over to him. 

"Didn't you head up with the others?" the girl asked, letting Asano slip further and further away from her thoughts.

"Nah, I went to go get some drinks," Nagisa answered, "I ran into a bit of trouble but it's okay now-"

He stopped noticing his friend's red puffed cheeks.

"Are you okay?" 

Katsuna turned her head towards him, attempting a small smile.

"Yeah, everything's okay, just pests you know?" 

~~~~~

Back in the wooden campus, it was time for another one of Koro-sensei's lessons. 

"Let's get studying for midterms boys and girls!" the octopus exclaimed, a white headband wrapped around his head. 

"Sir," Kanzaki quiered, a bead of sweat dripping down her cheek as she observed her teacher's movements, "What are you doing?"

Using his mach 20 speed, Koro-sensei had split himself into clones, one for each student in the class.

"My doubles provide special one on one attention, tutoring everyone their individual weaknesses," Koro-sensei explained, whilst continuing to demonstrate his unique set of teaching antics. 

"Well he's definitely working his hardest to help us," Nagisa commented, gripping his pencil with confidence, "So we might as well study the hardest we can in return." 

"I agree!" Kaede smiled at the blue haired boy. 

Suddenly a dent in Koro-sensei's face appeared, startling the whole class. 

"Put your knife down Karma," the octopus commanded, "Whilst I respect the effort, your fellow peer's grades come first."

"Yeah yeah," Karma huffed, lowering his green weapon, "Can't blame me for trying."

"Koro-sensei may be a cocky bastard," Katsuna thought whilst answering her set of history questions.

"But he's one damn good teacher." 

~~~~~

The bell finally signaled for home time and the class broke out into boxes of chatter. 

Katsuna let out a sigh, exhausted from her studies. Don't get her wrong though, she loves working hard, but Koro-sensei was really testing her abilities and pushing her to her maximum. 

"Jeez, you look awful," Karma snickered, packing up his bag. 

"Wow, thanks Karma!" the girl sarcastically exclaimed, irritated by his remark, "You're really making my day brighter ya know?" 

"My pleasure," he smirked, ignoring her taunts, "I heard the assembly today was a laugh." 

"Yeah, bet you're bummed you missed it," Katsuna replied scornfully. 

"Aww I'm flattered you noticed," the boy grinned, suddenly covering his mouth as he feigned shock, " _Does that mean you like me~_?"

"In your dreams!" Katsuna shot, "I'd feel sorry for anyone who did think of you like tha-"

She stopped, her eyes drawn to the open door as a certain figure strode by. 

_I could be mistaken but..._

"I've got to go.." Katsuna stated, grabbing her bag and pacing towards the door at alarming speed. 

She peeked around the corner, just as the figure stepped into the teacher's lounge and shut the door behind them. 

_It is him..._

The girl tiptoed towards down the corridor and perched herself just outside the door. She could just make out the conversation happening from inside the room. 

"For give me for not introducing myself sooner," the deep voice stated, "I'm Principal Asano and I'm in charge here at Kunugigaoka Junior High School." 

_What is he doing here?_

" _I wouldn't have taken you for an eavesdropper_ ," a voice whispered into the girl's ear. 

Katsuna was just about to let out a high pitch squeal of surprise but a strong hand wrapped around her mouth, muffling the noise. 

"Shut up you idiot," Karma's voice whispered again, "Do you want to get caught?" 

He let go of the girl in front of him, allowing her to take a couple of small breaths before finally replying to the boy. 

"You asshole, don't sneak up on me like that," Katsuna whispered harshly, gritting her teeth in anger. 

"Oh quiet yourself women," Karma huffed, "You're missing the conversation." 

"Whatever," the girl seethed, whipping her head back to the front in order to return her focus back on the words being said from inside. 

"..E Class must continue to serve its function if the Earth is to survive after this coming March," Principal Asano denounced, his voice tinged with an unsettling darkness. 

"Interesting.." Koro-sensei countered, unfazed by the principal's menacing aura, "I do believe that my role as a teacher is to increase the grades of my students, therefore allowing them to exceed in their futures."

"So I don't quite understand when you say, and may I quote, 'That E Class must continue to serve its purpose'." 

"Let me explain," the principal sighed, "Are you familiar with the so called worker ant theory?" 

"It tells us that in any group, 20% will work hard, 20% will be idle and the remaining 60% will fall somewhere in between."

"Now, what if there was no middle group?"

"That would mean that 95% would strive to work hard and the now remaining 5% will be idle." 

"I've constructed an intelligent system, where that 5% is consistently scrutinized by the 95%, therefore allowing the previous 60%, that would have fallen between the cracks, to persevere and become part of the 95%. This is because they don't want to be associated with the lazy 5%."

"Isn't it a magnificent idea?" the principal applauded himself.

"It's definitely logical.." Koro-sensei replied, his tone an octave lower than before, "If that 5% were to rise up, however, then the 95% would simply disappear." 

"Precisely," Principal Asano stated, "So this is where we start to stumble my dear Koro-sensei."

"You see, today I heard an alarming complaint from two of my students that a lowly Class E student had dared to oppose its superior," he coldly relayed, "I have no doubts that it's confidence boost has stemmed from the assassination attempts you have your class demonstrating." 

_Dammit Nagisa.._

_~~~~~_

_**"Nah, I went to go get some drinks," Nagisa answered, "I ran into a bit of trouble but it's okay now-"** _

~~~~~

"Obviously, I **cannot** let this happen," Principal Asano declared, his tone shifting even darker. 

"As the teachers here at Class 3-E, I expect you from now on to keep your students in line." he warned, his voice getter closer to the door where the pair were crouched. 

"Shit, we gotta go," Katsuna whispered frantically, the two students standing up in a hurry but to no avail. 

The door to the teacher's lounge swung open, their position now revealed by the principal himself. 

His eyes travelled down to Katsuna's, making the girl jolt in fright from the intensity. Quickly assessing the situation, he smiled down at the students, his grin creating a sickly feeling in Katsuna's stomach. 

"Sakame Katsuna, what a pleasure," he began, his tone unmatching of his words, "I'm looking forward to your next visit." 

The girl gulped, knowing the future discussion will impact heavily on her. 

The man's eyes followed across to meet Karma's sneer, narrowing them slightly in displeasure before turning away, striding towards the exit. 

Katsuna stared after the man, biting her lip as various thoughts began swimming around her head. 

_The fear of the unknown is a dangerous thing._


	16. You're not fit to be Assassins!

"Good Morning Class!"Koro-sensei beamed, "Let's get to studying!!" 

"Wow, the principal's words must have sparked something in the guy," Karma mumbled, watching as the octopus made more doubles of himself than he had done yesterday. 

The redhead eyed the silent girl beside him discreetly, relaying the principal's words in his head. 

~~~~~~

_**"Sakame Katsuna, what a pleasure," he began, his tone unmatching of his words, "I'm looking forward to your next visit."**   
_

~~~~~~

 _What could he have meant?_

He dismissed the thoughts, viewing them as distractions . 

_It's probably nothing._

"Err Sir," Kaede began, looking wearily at her teacher, "Isn't this going to tire you out?" 

"No need to worry!" Koro-sensei cheered, "Am I not the being who blew up the moon? A simple clone technique doesn't even come close to what I'm really capable of!" 

"R-right.." the girl sighed, returning back to her work. 

~~~~~~

The bell chimed for lunch allowing their teacher to catch a breather. The octopus collapsed onto the ground, fanning his sweaty face. 

"I mean, I did kinda warn him.." Kaede whispered to Nagisa in concern. 

"I say let's try our luck guys!" Rio smirked, raising her green knife with anticipation. 

"Not that I don't appreciate his efforts," Sugino commented, scratching the back of his head, "But why is he bothering about it so much?" 

"Yeah, I was thinking the same thing," Maehara interjected, his eyes narrowing questionably at their teacher, "We are E Class after all." 

"A-ahh," Koro-sensei breathed, gasping for airing from exhaustion, "It's to get your grades up." 

"If I do that, then I'll finally win the love and respect of my wonderful students as you run towards me with full marks." 

The octopus smiled dreamily as he watched the vision in his mind play out. 

"Yeahhhh..." Maehara exhaled, interrupting their teacher's thoughts, "That's never going to happen." 

"I mean, why should we even try when we could just kill you and get loads of bank," Mimura explained, his eyes lighting up at the mention of money. 

"You said it!" Hinata chuckled, "We are E class, assassination will probably be the only thing we'll ever be good at." 

"I see..." Koro-sensei muttered under his breath, his face turning dark, "So there's no point in trying is there?" 

"Well no-" 

"Wrong!" he scolded, cutting his students off with a purple x appearing on his face.

**"Everyone outside, now."**

He stormed out the classroom, leaving the class stunned and confused. 

"I don't get it.. what did we say?" Hinata questioned, walking towards the door. 

"I have no clue," Maehara replied, shrugging his shoulders in dismay. 

"You're a bunch of idiots," Karma sneered, "But you'll find that out soon enough." 

"For the first time, I'll have to agree with the ass over there," Katsuna gestured to Karma, ignoring his returned glare.

"Come on, let's get out there before something bad happens." 

~~~~~~

Upon arriving outside, the class observed from the bank as their teacher stared daggers at them. He was currently stood still in the middle of the school field, silent and eery.

"What's his deal man.." Maehara whispered to Isogai, "He's starting to creep me out." 

"Alright children," the octopus called, his voicing carrying through with ease, "Listen to me carefully." 

"Miss Jelavic, I'd like your opinion as a professional assassin." 

"Umm okay, what do you want to know?" Professor Bitch asked, taken back from the statement. 

"When you're attempting to take a person's life, does your first plan always succeed?" the octopus questioned. 

"Of course not, you have to be stupid to think that," Professor Bitch answered, slightly offended, "You always have to go into a job with a second if not third or forth plan at least."

"There are just way too many variables that may intervene, for instance, an extra guard or someone being in the wrong place at the wrong time," she continued, "A professional assassin will need to adjust to these changes on the spot." 

"Exactly!" Koro-sensei grinned, "A perfect answer, thank you." 

"Mr Karasuma, do you believe that the first strike is the only one needed to kill your opponent?" 

"No, you have to be prepared to follow through with an equally strong second move or even third," the spiky haired teacher replied, his voice as stern as ever, "Never assume your target will be killed from the first blow. You must always anticipate their next movements carefully." 

"Precisely," Koro-sensei exclaimed.

"You see children, a proper assassin will always carry a second blade, wether that's an extra weapon, plan or piece of knowledge." 

The octopus began spinning in circles at high speed, slowly creating an enormous whirlwind right in the middle of the school field. The students watched in ashtionment, barely being able to stand on the ground from the sheer force of the wind. 

"A backup plan is the cornerstone of confidence," he continued to yell, his voice somehow overpowering the noise of the makeshift tornado, "And a confident assassin is a successful one!" 

"Don't place all your eggs in one basket is the saying right?" 

**"Well what do you think you're doing right now?!"**

**"SUPPOSE I WAS TAKEN OUT BY ANOTHER ASSASSIN?!!"**

**"WHAT WOULD YOU DO THEN?!!!"**

**"YOU'D HAVE NOTHING!!!!!!"**

The tornado was getting out of control, reflecting the sheer anger of Koro-sensei's voice. The surrounding trees began to get pulled from their roots, entering the gray swirling abyss. 

**"THOSE WHO DON'T WIELD A SECOND BLADE, AREN'T QUALIFIED TO BE ASSASSINS!!!!"**

Those words violently punctated the hearts of the students, making them finally realise their stupidity and mistakes. 

Koro-sensei wasn't just their teacher. 

He was the representation of pure wisdom. 

~~~~~

"You know, I should have expected he'd do something like that.." Nagisa commented, thinking back. 

"What do you mean?" Kaede quiered, shoving a rice ball into her mouth, "How could you have possibly expected something like that?" 

The two were sat peacefully on the bank, finally being able to have some time to munch on their lunches after Koro-sensei's display. 

"What I mean is, even when he's pissed," Nagisa began, peering out to the landscape in front of them, "He still takes into consideration of everything surrounding him."

"For instance, our wellbeing, due to the wind being strong but not strong enough to harm us," he explained, "And also to the environment, I mean just look at what he did to the place." 

Koro-sensei had weeded and flattened out the surrounding space, turning their previous field into a running track complimented with football goals. It was a multi-functional area where the students can now train on level ground. 

"I see what you mean," Kaede replied, surveying the area, "He definitely is something." 

"But what he said after the tornado scene, you know, about everyone having to score in the top 50 in our midterms," Nagisa exclaimed, "That's impossible!" 

"Come on Nagisa!" she replied enthusiastically, "We're E Class, assassins in training and with Koro-sensei, there's no way we can lose!" 

"Hmm, I just hope you're right." 

~~~~~~

Katsuna strode through the hallway, glancing down at her watch to check the time to the exact second. 

"At least I'm not late," she sighed, knowing that it wouldn't help her situation either way. 

She stopped as she reached the familiar dark brown doors, feeling more intimidated than in recent trips. Inhaling, she cleared her heads of the negative thoughts that began to sprout. 

"Come in." 

_Here goes..._

"Hello my dear Sakame Katsuna," Principal Asano sneered, his voice creeping up the girls neck like a centipede, "What a surprise bumping into you yesterday." 

"I'm ready to hear what you have to say in regards to the recent events E Class has been involved in." 

"I-I.." Katsuna began, the suffocating atmosphere slowly feeling like hands strangling her neck, "I want to apologise on my behalf for the Nagisa's behavior towards the Class B students, I promise it won't happen again." 

"Hmm, well in regards to that affair," Principal Asano narrowed his eyes, "I had to deal with that myself, as you already know, so you're apology means nothing." 

"R-right.. yes sir," Katsuna stammered, every cell in her body wanting to leave the room as quickly as possible.

"I trusted you to keep a close eyes on your fellow peers, making sure they know their place, but it seems you're just wasting my time."

"Are you forgetting that I'm the only reason why your father hasn't found you yet?" 

"I suspect you have already realised the dangers that may await you if he did."

"Just from reading his profile, I bet he'll end up doing worse things to you than he did to your-"

"Enough!" she cried, covering her ears with her hands as the tears began streaming down her cheeks, "Please.. just don't."

"I'll do anything, just please..."

"I see, so we do understand each other," the principal smirked, watching the display with a sense of pity, "I trust that now you'll take your position with me more seriously." 

"Y-yes sir." she sniffled, sinking into a deeper despair. 

"Great!" Principal Asano sang, clapping his hands in glee.

"Now tell me everything." 

Katsuna began to relay everything that Koro-sensei had done for her class. From the time he appeared to the present time. She told him about the clones, the outbursts, the classroom antics and everything that fell in between. 

No detail went by unsaid, each word betraying her fellow peers, her friends and her teachers hard work.

The principal listened intently to information, conjuring up ideas inside his head that could prove to be useful in the upcoming months. He watched as the girl began to crumble with guilt in front of him, a sadistic smile stretching across his narrow face.

_Midterms are going to be very interesting this year..._


	17. Midterm Panic

It was the day before the exams and tensions in Class 3-E were rising rapidly. Even with the help of the octopus, it was hard for the student's to keep there nerves at bay not to mention with the added pressure to score in the top 50. 

This was by far the hardest challenge for them to face yet. 

Midterms. 

The classroom was buzzing with thinking minds and the sound of pencil against paper. 

Katsuna was currently working on her English, something she didn't find especially hard but not terribly easy either. 

A middle ground as some would put. 

Unfortunately, with this type of subject, it was easy for her mind to wander which it tended to do when she was stressing about something. 

The guilt from her conversation with Principal Asano was swallowing her up, little by little. She observed how her fellow peers were working hard to achieve their best possible scores in their upcoming exams. 

How much work they're putting in. 

The determination in their faces. 

Only she knew what laid ahead for them and it made her sick to her stomach. 

There was no time now to go back and change things. 

The only thing she could do now is watch. 

Katsuna swallowed the lump in her throat, glancing back down at her work in dismay. 

~~~~~

**"Don't you dare become one of them."**

~~~~~

"I guess I got too close without even thinking about it," she pondered, rhythmically bouncing her leg in frustration. 

_The best thing I can do now is distance myself._

_As if you deserve they're friendship anyway._

_**You coward.** _

_~~~~~~_

As the lunch bell ran, the classroom began to break up into patches of chatter. 

"Hey, you wanna eat together Katsuna?" Rio chimed, pulling her chair over to the girl's desk. 

"Ehh I can't sorry," Katsuna mumbled, averting her eyes away from Rio's confused ones. 

Before the blonde girl could answer, Katsuna bolted out the classroom, searching for a secluded place to sit. Dismissing Rio's disappointed face, the raven haired girl adventured out towards the cliff clearing, carrying her bag over her shoulder. 

"No-one comes out this far so I should be alright," Katsuna reasoned before stopping dead in her tracks, "Crap, I forgot about the redhead." 

"If I can't go the the clearing, then maybe..." the girl scanned her surroundings, searching for a place to sit. Her eyes spotted a small cave in the distance, easy to miss, which was perfect. 

Katsuna perched herself on rough bark below her, sighing in relief as she was finally able to get some peace with only the sounds of nature to comfort her. 

"I've had enough of human contact that could last a lifetime," she muttered quietly, unpacking her makeshift lunch she had made herself this morning. 

Just a couple of plain rice balls with some leftover curry from last night's dinner. She looked down at it, her mind thinking back to seeing everyone else's lunches their parents had made them. 

It wasn't often Katsuna compared herself to others. Yes, she wouldn't deny her childhood wasn't a pretty princess lifestyle, but sometimes, deep down, she wished that she had had a normal upbringing. 

A smiley mum filling her lunch up with yummy goods with a dad who could pick her up and spin her around like she was the light of their lives. 

Without realising, Katsuna's tears began to drop into her rice. 

"God I'm pathetic," she whispered, quickly wiping her eyes with the sleeve of her blazer, "So what if I didn't have that, I'm doing just fine on my own." 

Her thoughts flashed to the principal's sinister smile. 

_Yes.. just fine._

~~~~~

_Tap_

_Tap_

_Tap_

The invigilator's finger mimicked second's that passed by as the ticking clock drew closer and closer to its mark. 

Exam time. 

The E Class students stared at their papers in bewilderment. 

Even for assassins, this target outmatched them with overwhelming strength. 

The questions might as well have been monsters from a different realm. 

Armed with only a knife to battle against this inhuman creature, the students panicked, quivering under the pressure of failure. 

Just as the students were about to give up, a feeling of serenity and calm washed over them.

It was as if Koro-sensei was by their side, comforting the trembling class with his beaming smile. 

_"Calm yourselves,"_ he advised, a gentle tone smoothing out his voice, _"If you pick at this terrifying monster bit by bit, then what do you see?"_

_"A monster turned mouse."_

With this sudden boost of confidence, the students began answering the questions set out in front of them. 

By breaking the problems down, the class found that these once deadly creatures were nothing but small vulnerable animals. 

They cut through them like carving up a turkey.

_These questions are dead meat-_

_huh?_

_WHAT?!_

Class 3-E stopped writing, their faces wiped with pure dread as their eyes gazed upon Question 11. 

_This question.. its... its.._

_**The devil himself.** _

~~~~~~

Results day. 

The class sat in dreaded silence, blankly staring at their results in utter disappointment. 

All their hard work crushed in a matter of minutes. 

Karasuma could be head on the phone at the front of the classroom, talking to the communications office. 

"I see.." the spiky haired teacher lowered his voice, glancing towards the devastated students, "So the principal himself tutored the new material 2 days before the exam." 

He hung up, turning towards the class to relay the news. 

"There's nothing that can be done," he stated, the undertone of anger obvious to the ears, "We'll just have to do better with your next set of exams." 

The atmosphere of the classroom darkened. 

Katsuna squeezed her fists tightly as she begun to feel the strong urge to throw up. 

_It's my fault._

_If I had been stronger, this wouldn't have happened._

Peering down at her results, the guilt acted like hands on her throat. 

The principal had already assured her that she would score high on her exams before she even took them. 

Her taking them was only for show.

The urges increased making her girl hug her stomach firmly. It was as if her guts were being twisted and tugged by an ominous hand. 

_Hold it in._

_Hold it in._

_Hold it in._

In the distance, she could barely make out Koro-sensei talking to the class.

"......I take full responsibility......" 

_No, it's me you should blame._

"......I underestimated the principal..."

_It was me, I did it._

"....Forgive me..."

_Please...stop._

_Stop._

_Stop._

_Stop._

_Stop._

_STOP-_

**"AHHH-HUM!!!"**

The loud shout silenced the girl's thoughts as she whipped her head up to see Karma standing with his infamous smirk plastered to his face.

"Karma now is not the time for-" Koro-sensei started before being interrupted by the redhead. 

"Look, you can have it your way teach and let the class listen to your god awful sob story," Karma declared, striding to the front with his test papers in hand, "Or you can cheer up and get on with the next lesson." 

He slammed his sheets on the teachers desk, smirking up at the octopus before gesturing to his score. 

100%

99%

99%

98%

The class gasped, surrounding the desk as they gazed upon his scores.

"Holy crap!" Sugino blurted, "You got 100 in math?"

"That's insane, no way!" Maehara exclaimed in disbelief. 

"So what if you guys screwed up this time round," the redhead continued with his head held high, "Like Karasuma-sensei said, you'll fuck them up next time round!" 

"Well technically I didn't-" Karasuma started to comment, addressing the boy's crude language. 

"Oh whatever sir," Karma interrupted, waving his hand as he dismissed the confused look on his teacher's face. 

"Karma's right," Maehara smiled, "Let's get a move on and slam them in the next exams!"

"I'm with you on that one!"

"Let's slap them up guys!"

The class laughed, their moods brightening as a slither of hope shined on their futures. 

Katsuna watched from the back of the classroom as the smiles returned to her classmate's faces, knowing that even if principal won in the academic sector, he failed miserably to destroy their hearts. 

However, the sickening feeling in her stomach didn't cease up. 

She silently slipped out of the classroom, making her way to the girls toilets before throwing up in one of the cubicle. 

_I don't deserve to smile with them after what I did._

As she flushed the toilet, Katsuna stared down at the swirling bowl of water being sucked down the small gap. It brought an odd sense of tranquility. 

The feeling of just being.... _washed away_. 

**To disappear without a trace.**

Katsuna shook her head violently from the dangerous thoughts, stepping out the cubical in a hurry. 

"Just bare with it, you'll be okay," she muttered to herself whilst washing her hands. 

She splashed the water on her face, the cold temperature making her feel more awake before exiting the toilets and walking back to the classroom. 

The laughter and chatter haven't stopped since she left which was relieving. 

Even if she didn't have the right to feel that way, there was no stopping it. 

Katsuna was glad that the class she was destined to destroy, was strong enough to withstand the principal's attacks.

And some day, Class 3-E will win. 


	18. Begin the Adventure!

"Ahh I'm so excited!" Kaede squealed, bouncing her knees in anticipation.

"I know how you feel," Nagisa smiled, "Our trip to Kyoto is just around the corner!"

"I'm going to visit so many cafes," the green haired girl held her head with her hands as she thought of all the puddings she could eat. 

"Of course you're thinking about puddings," Nagisa sighed, "But I was thinking more of all the different assassination spots we'll discover!" 

"You're right," Sugino interjected, perching himself on the desks next to the two students, "Even if we do get a school trip, that doesn't mean we'll be having a break from killing Koro-sensei."

"Hey, as everyone's splitting into groups, how about we become one?" Nagisa suggested, gesturing to his classmates. 

"That's a great idea!" Kaede giggled, "Though we do need a few more people." 

"Hmm how about.." Nagisa scanned the room, meeting eyes with a certain redhead. 

"Hey Karma, wanna be in our group?" 

The redhead spun his head around at the request, his smirk as wide as ever, "Yeah sure why not."

"You're going to be okay with this trip right..." Sugino cautioned, "You know, like not getting into fights and stuff like that.." 

"What do you take me for," Karma snickered, raising his head high before pulling out a photograph, "Don't worry, I make sure people like that don't talk about it afterwards." 

The students peered closely at the photograph, their faces becoming worried as they noticed the two people in the image had cuts and bruises on them. 

"That is exactly what I'm worried about," Suigno muttered, slamming his hand on his head, "And now we have a complete psycho in our group." 

"Just two more people.." the blue haired boy mumbled, thinking as he searched the room. 

"Well, I hope you guys don't mind but I already kinda persuaded Kanzaki to join," Sugino scratched his head nervously as the class idol wandered over at the mention of her name. 

The girl had long raven-black hair that swayed by her hips as she walked, her gorgeous golden eyes seeming to sparkle in the light. 

It was obvious by Sugino's red face that he had a huge crush on her which Karma was sure to take advantage of. 

"Hello, thanks for inviting me to your group," she smiled angelically. 

"N-no problem," Sugino stammered, the heat on his cheeks rising by the second. 

Karma nudged the boy, whispering something in his ear, 

"Don't look now, but I think a little friend of yours just popped up." 

Sugino widened his eyes in embarrassment, quickly looking down at himself just to realise there was nothing to hide. He looked back up at the red head and scowled, watching the boy laugh hysterically. 

"Hey, how about we get Katsuna in here?" Karma suggested, wiping the tears from his eyes, "Should be fun to have another victim to tease." 

Nagisa sighed, scratching the back of his head nervously before informing the group that he had already asked her but she had declined, saying she was going by herself. 

"Huh," Karma thought, taking a quick glance at his surroundings if he could see the girl in question but to no avail. 

"I'm surprised she's even allowed to go by herself," Kaede commented, "Does Koro-sensei know about this?" 

"Apparently," Nagisa answered, "He said it was okay just for this once." 

"Well no need to bother about it then," Sugino concluded, slightly disappointed, "How about Okuda then, we still need one more person." 

As Nagisa was inviting his quiet classmate into the group, Karma slipped out, traipsing through the forest in search for Katsuna. 

There was something inside him that was pushing him to look, something telling him that she was this way.

He came across the cliffside clearing where the pair had previously had a near death experience. Stopping suddenly as his eyes glanced upon a girl who was perched on the grass near the dangerous drop. 

She was silent, facing out towards the view with her legs hanging off the side of the cliff. 

Karma observed her for a moment, staring intensely at the back of her head. 

_Why do I want to sit next to her?_

Katsuna whipped her head over her shoulder, sensing the presence behind her. This motion broke the boy's thoughts as he shaked his head rid of them. 

He noticed that her eyes were narrowed defensively, probably waiting for a snarky remark which he was happy to provide.

"Keep that face up and you'll get wrinkles," the boy chuckled, making Katsuna roll her eyes in annoyance. 

"Oh come on, that was a perfect piece of advice wasn't it," Karma sniggered, shoving his hands into his pockets.

"Don't you have anything more important to do?" she replied dryly, standing up from the ground and making her way back to the campus. 

Something didn't seem right. 

There was something about her mood or maybe it was the way she was walking.... like someone who has been rid of strength. 

She passed the boy without batting an eyelid, her hair gracefully following the rhythm of her hips in her wake.

"With all the effort you put into irritating me, I'm starting to think you like me." 

Karma's eyes widened in surprise, not expecting those words. He hung his head low, a dark emotion rising slowly. 

"You'd like that wouldn't you," his voice darkened slightly.

Out of nowhere, two firm hands gripped onto Katsuna's waist, pulling her backwards so her backside was pressed tightly against Karma's chest. The redhead leaned in closely to her ear, his usual lighthearted tone completely gone. 

"How about I slam you against that tree and fuck you dirty like a dog." 

Karma held his breath, staring into her sunken eyes as if she was a doll. A weak smirk graced her features, unfazed by his crude language. 

"Pitiful, as if you had the balls." 

Karma released his hold on the girl, his mouth gaping open as he watched her disappear into the distance. 

_What just happened?_

_~~~~~~_

It was the day of the school trip to Kyoto and the class was booming with excitement. Despite being placed in coach, Class 3-E couldn't stop their smiles even if they wanted to. The new endearing assassination spots really got their blood pumping. 

Katsuna hung back, watching as her peers entered the train with a contempt expression. She was excited about their trip, it would be nice to have a little get away and become lost in the wonders of a new city, however, she was now on a tight leash with the principal, therefore making it hard to calm herself even in these simple situations. 

"Hey where's Professor Bitch?" Rio chirped up, breaking Katsuna's thought process. 

The remaining students on the platform began to scan their surroundings but the teacher in question was hard to miss as she strutted towards them, wearing designer clothes you'd only find on a supermodel. 

"Woah... why are you dressed like that?" Maehara blurted, unable to hide his astonishment. He knew Professor Bitch could dress up nicely, but this look gave a whole new meaning to that conclusion. 

"We're going to the city right?" she replied, flashing her sunglasses in the light of the sun, "Why not look your best?" 

"Get changed now," Karasuma commanded, his tone very demanding as he stared daggers at the woman in front of him. 

"B-But I..." she started but was silenced by the expression on the man's face. 

"Yeah.. there's no way she's getting out of this one," Rio sighed, slightly embarrassed by her teacher's childish demeanour. 

~~~~

The train began to move once everyone was seated; their journey only just beginning. 

Katsuna had taken a seat at the back of the train, peering out the window as the familiar city was racing by. She'd just managed to score a place on this trip, with all the bills stacking up, it was becoming harder and harder to get by. 

"I'll have to start a part-time job soon..." she thought absentmindedly as the music boomed through her earbuds. 

Reaching down towards her phone, she googled some jobs that was near her area. Slightly surprised from the amount that were available, she applied to some that would take her with the small experience she had and left it as that. 

"Hopefully they'll reply back soon," she sighed, settling her phone down once again on her lap, turning towards the window. 

"WHAT THE HELL?!"

The students whipped their heads towards the shriek, eyeing the girl at the back of the train as she jumped out of her seat in fright. 

"What's wrong?" Nagisa questioned, making his way over to Katsuna. 

The girl let out a breath of relief as she realized what.. or should I say who scared her. 

Koro-sensei was staring from outside the train, stuck to the window with a few beads of sweat dripping down his face.

"I-I was stocking up on some sweets and missed the train.." he exclaimed from the otherside of the window, "So I had to improvising you see." 

"Won't people see you?" Katsuna wondered, thinking it would be really bad if the public saw an oversized yellow octopus hanging onto the side of the train in a teachers outfit. 

"Yeah.. probably not the best idea sir," she concluded, picturing the terrified onlookers faces. 

"Don't worry, I'm going to go what I like to call 'Chalemon'," he smiled nervously. 

The students watched as the usual bright yellow skin of their teacher became camouflaged, the colour changing to the same of the trains. The class would have been impressed but his clothes and luggage were still completely on show which kind of defeated the whole purpose. 

As the train reached it's next stop, Koro-sensei was finally able to board the train using is awful human disguise. 

"I'm sorry sir, but you're really not fooling anyone," Maehara commented, wiping his forehead in disappointment as Koro-sensei's fake nose dropped onto the floor. 

"Hey Sir, try these on," Sosuke prompted, chucking some hand-made noses towards his teacher, "Custom noses to fit the contours of your face, no need to thank me." 

"The class mum strikes again," Karma snickered but was ignored by his fellow peers. 

"Wow, that's actually kinda cool," Isogai complimented, hanging over the side of the seat, "I didn't even know you could do that." 

Katsuna observed the conversation unfold from her seat, "Huh, funny you can learn so many different things when travelling together." 

She excused herself from the carriage, making her way towards the front to buy a couple of drinks that would last her the rest of the ride. 

"Oi, I'll come with," Karma called, racing up towards his peer, "I'm absolutely parched." 

"Right..." Katsuna muttered, annoyed by his presence. 

The two made their way through the carriages in silence, neither knowing how to start the conversation. Katsuna was so distracted by the awkwardness between them that she actually bumped into someone whilst trying to fit through the entryway to another carriage. 

"Ahh sorry," she muttered an apology, barely blinking an eyelid at the person before carrying on her journey, "Excuse me." 

Karma side glanced the high schoolers, sensing something off with their demeanour but dismissed it quickly, passing them silently. 

_Weird, I could have sworn... maybe I was mistaken._


	19. The Kyoto Kidnapping

"So Koro-sensei get's pretty bad motion sickness huh.." Mimura stated, a bit disappointed by the simplicity of the weakness.

The students had finally arrived at the traditional inn that would be there home for the next two days. They had started to unpack when they noticed their teacher's sunken state as he slumped on the sofa looking completely deflated. 

"You'll probably feel a lot better if you stay still," Isogai advised, attempting to stab the octopus in his enfeeble state. 

"Now now kiddos," Koro-sensei groaned, dodging every attack, "Let's get some rest, it'll be a big day tomorrow." 

"I guess he's right," Isogai huffed, lowering his weapon, "Boys and Girls in separate rooms please and no peeping Okajima."

"Why just me..." the perverted boy whined, dragging his feet as he followed the rest of the boys down the hallway. 

"Come on girls," Kataoka declared, "Let's go get settled!" 

~~~~~~~

The morning came quicker than expected for Katsuna as she finished putting her essentials into her backpack. After slumping it over her shoulders, she made her way towards the lounge where the rest of her class was gathered.

"Right, has everyone got everything they need?" Koro-sensei questioned.

"Okay, stay safe and have fun!"

The eager class cheered before rushing out of the inn and into the unknown city full of wonders. They soon split off into their own groups and began exploring. 

Katsuna wandered off by herself, amazed by the animated sights surrounding her. 

She made her way through the city, passing delicious smelling restaurants that made her mouth water and crossing traditional Japanese bridges, gazing at the clear rushing water below. 

She smiled, watching her reflection in the water like a little kid. 

It was truly magical, as if she had just stepped inside a fairytale. 

Whilst taking a stroll through the park, Katsuna came across a cute little bench tucked under a cherry blossom tree. Perching herself down on the bench, she leaned back, closing her eyes and let the sunlight warm her face. 

"I haven't felt this calm in a long time.." the girl found herself wondering, soaking up the tranquil feeling. 

Suddenly, something lightly land on her forehead, breaking her thoughts. As she slowly opened her eyes, she watched in a daze as a hand crept closer towards her face. 

It was so quick, Katsuna barely had any time to react. 

As her eyes adjusted, a vision of a red haired boy in front of her became clearer, a cherry blossom petal in his hand. 

"Karma?" Katsuna mumbled, her eyes wide and questioning. 

The crimson haired boy was about to respond when Nagisa's voice broke the concentrated stare. 

"Hey Karma, don't run off by yourself!" he gasped, the rest of the group following his lead

Nagisa lifted his head, surprised by Katsuna's presence before providing her with a wide cheerful and slightly relieved smile. 

"Hey Katsuna, how's your day been so far?"

"Umm alright, thanks.." the girl replied, standing up from the bench, "Where you guys heading now?" 

She eyes the rest of the group that consisted of Sugino, Kaede, Okuda and Kanzaki. They all seemed just as out of breath and surprised as Nagisa. 

"We're just about to visit a noodle shop Kankazi researched," Kaede chirped, clearly thrilled by the idea of food, "Do you want to come with?" 

"I don't know..." Katsuna backed off, nervously rubbing her arm. 

"I think she will," Karma stated, grabbing her wrist lightly. 

He gave Katsuna a look meaning she'll cause more trouble than it's worth if she refused. 

"Sure, it's only noodles anyway," she sighed, yanking her hand out of Karma's grip before following Nagisa's lead.

"Come on let's go, I'm starving!"

"Woo Hoo NOODLES!!" 

~~~~~~

The group made their way deeper into the streets of Kyoto, following the directions on Kanzaki's map. 

"It should be just through this alleyway on our right," Kanzaki announced, pointing forwards.

"Wow, this place is perfect for assassination," Sugino commented, observing his surroundings. 

"I know what you mean," Okuda replied, "It's narrow so it's hard for the target to escape and extremely quiet as well." 

"I say this is where we do it!" Kaede declared, the rest of the group agreeing. 

"Oi Katsuna," Karma whispered, his eyes staring intently at her as if he was trying to figure her out, "I'm just going to come right out and say it, why are you acting so different than before?" 

"I don't know what you mean," Katsuna whispered back defensively.

"Cut the bullshit, you know exactly what I'm on about," Karma spat, his voice getting a little louder. The rest of the group eyed the pair behind them, their rising tempers becoming quite a scene. 

"Are you deaf?" Katsuna hissed, glaring at the redhead, "Now back off."

"Just tell me!" Karma shouted, gritting his teeth as he grabbed the girl by her shoulders so that she would face him. 

"I don't have to tell you shit!" Katsuna pushed the boy back forcibly, making him slam his back into the wooden fence. 

Karma was about to retaliate when a brutish voice interrupted his thinking.

**_"Look boys, it's the group of mice wandering the city alone."_ **

A hunched figure stepped out from the darkness, grinning sadistically. Two more appeared from behind him, one salivating and the other licking his lips.

Karma recognised the faces immediately... the high schoolers from the train. 

More footsteps could be heard from behind, the group now finding themselves completely surrounded and outnumbered.

Katsuna and Karma exchanged a silent meaningful eye contact, both now taking their negative feelings towards each other and placing them to the side. 

_There's time to ask later._

The redhead stepped forward, addressing the older boy that seemed like the ringleader of the operation.

"Look, just so we're on the same page here," he started, looking down on boy, "I'm right in thinking you guys aren't-"

"Oh just shut up and give us the girls," one of the other high schoolers sneered, "Don't try and act like a hero-"

Karma pounced on the guy, knocking him back with just one hand as he slammed the boy's head into the ground. His eyes were wild, every sense on him tingling with excited at the sight of terror in his now victim's face. 

"Don't interrupt me." 

Katsuna took this moment of surprise and used it to gain the upperhand, springing into action as she swung her leg towards another highschooler, hitting him straight in the face. The boy was sent flying , crashing into the fence to the side. 

"You little shit!" another thug yelled, charging like a bull towards Katsuna with his knife held high.

Katsuna leapt into the air, using the shoulders of her target as a lift as she twisted herself 180 degrees and wrapped her legs around his neck. The extra weight of her body allowed the high schooler to break his balance, the choke hold cutting off his air supply. As the pair collided with the ground below, Katsuna kicked the semi-conscious highschooler in the head, making him pass out. 

"Jeez you guys are all brawn and no brains." 

The sarcastic tone of the redhead could be heard over the enraged yells of the high schoolers. 

Out of instinct, she glanced to the side to analyse the boy's movements. However, just at this moment, someone grabbed her from behind, wrapping their arms around her waist tightly. 

"Gotcha you little slut," the ringleader purred into her ear.

"Let go of me!" Katsuna yelled, squirming in his grip. 

"Here," he snickered, throwing the girl into the arms of two more of his cronies, "Get the car around."

Katsuna desperately scanned her surroundings, knowing there was no way to escape. 

Kaede and Kanzaki had already passed out and were now being carried away.

Nagisa and Suigno were on the floor, unconscious. 

Okuda was nowhere to be seen. 

_Bad._

Karma had lost his focus, his eyes wide with surprise as he caught sight of her in distress.

_This is very bad._

A high schooler took the opportunity to whack him round the head, sending him crashing towards the ground.

_I have to get away._

They began kicking and stomping the redhead who was barely able to cover himself.

_Stop it._

Suddenly, something hard smacked her from behind, her vision now becoming blurry.

_Please stop..._

Total darkness covered her sight.

_Karma..._

_Help me._


	20. An Unforgivable Touch

**!!! This chapter may be sensitive for some readers as it contains mature themes relating to sexual assault !!!**

**I will make it obvious where these themes begin and end xx**

~~~~~

_Katsuna desperately scanned her surroundings, knowing there was no way to escape._

_Kaede and Kanzaki had already passed out and were now being carried away._

_Nagisa and Suigno were on the floor, unconscious._

_Okuda was nowhere to be seen._

_Bad._

_Karma had lost his focus, his eyes wide with surprise as he caught sight of her in distress._

_This is very bad._

_A high schooler took the opportunity to whack him round the head, sending him crashing towards the ground._

_I have to get away._

_They began kicking and stomping the redhead who was barely able to cover himself._

_Stop it._

_Suddenly, something hard smacked her from behind, her vision now becoming blurry._

_Please stop..._

_Total darkness covered her sight._

_Karma..._

_Help me._

_~~~~~_

"....come on...hurry up.."

"....boss.....waking...."

Distant voices fading in and out. Shuffling shoes on a concrete surface. 

The sounds became clearer and clearer as Katsuna slowly gained conscious. In her blurred vision, she could just make out a couple of figures traipsing in the dark. 

"Where am I?" she tried to say but something was preventing the movement of her mouth.

A rag? 

Suddenly a white light was shone directly in her face, blinding her vision. Katsuna blinked weakly, a rising pain the back of her head making it hard to focus. 

"What happened?" she tried again, with more force this time, but the sound came out muffled. 

Panic began to swell in her body as a flash of memories alerted her awareness. 

A redhead being kicked. The sound of screaming. 

She was screaming. 

Thugs. Sadistic grins. Greasy hands. 

_This is bad._

**\-- Mature themes ahead --**

"So you're finally awake doll." 

His breath could be felt in her ear, sending the hair on her neck to spike in fear. 

A sweaty hand reached for Katsuna's knee, engulfing it in it's grip. 

"Boys, go play with the others and leave me and princess here," his hoarse voice commanded, the hungry eyes never leaving the girl's. 

A series of footsteps and groans could be heard before a door slam. 

It was just to two of them now. 

Alone. 

"I knew from the first time I saw you on the train, I had to have you," he began, his grubby hand creeping closer up her thigh, slipping under her skirt. 

Katsuna's shouts were muffled, her attempts at moving a failure. Her ankles and wrists were tied to the chair, the rope too tight to budge. 

Her thoughts were racing. 

How to escape. 

How to run.

Katsuna screamed violently, eyes wide with fright as she caught sight of the knife glinting in the light. 

"So let's have a little fun _aye_?" 

His snigger felt like spiders crawling into her ears, the urge to move quickly becoming unbearable. 

His hand was gripping at her skirt now, tearing the fabric.

"Not enough." 

He brought the knife and thrusted it upwards, ripping her shirt in half. 

Katsuna was now heavily exposed and extremely vulnerable. She squeezed her eyes shut, blanking out the feeling of his unforgivable touch. 

Ignoring the tugging, the pulling, the clawing, the biting, the licking. 

"This isn't happening," Katsuna told herself, her mind focused on a world millions of miles away.

"It's my fault anyway, I'm so pathetic."

A tear damped her bruised cheek as Katsuna weakly smiled into the burning light. 

_I deserve this._

**\--- Mature themes ended --**

Everything stopped. 

She couldn't feel anything anymore. 

Distant sounds of yelling. 

A door being burst open. 

The sound of punches and kicks against skin. 

The light crashing to the ground. 

Now in total darkness, a tender warmth enveloped the trembling girl like a mother's embrace. 

"It's okay now, I'm here." 

_His voice._

_It was like the flow of the cherry blossoms on a serene summer's day._

_~~~~~~_

Katsuna regained conscious at the traditional inn Class 3-E were staying in. At first she was confused as to what happened, her thoughts jumbled with unsettling large gaps but over the course of the night, she found herself remembering more and more. 

However, after such an incident, what unsettled her more was her attitude towards it. She accepted what happened, not shedding even a single tear in the process. 

What happened, happened. 

There was no way to go back in time and change things.

All Katsuna felt she could do was repress and move on. 

Koro-sensei had been alerted straight after Nagisa and the others had woken up from the aftermath of the attack. Though, due to the info booklets the class had been given previously, the group had been able to track the captive girls down faster. They arrived at the building in less than 15 minutes and had immediately sprung into action. 

Katsuna later found out about Okuda hiding amidst the attack, therefore enabling to wake the boys up as soon as the high-schoolers had disappeared. She'd also been notified that Kaede and Kanzaki had been left alone for the most part, aside from a few bruises from were they'd been manhandled. 

Karma had been keeping his distance ever since they arrived back at the inn. She had heard he was to blame for gruesome state the kidnappers were left in, all of them now in hospital and will later be charged on multiple accounts. 

Currently, the rest of Class 3-E was back out exploring Kyoto on their second day of the school trip. Katsuna had assured Koro-sensei of her safety at the inn and that she didn't want to be the burden to their fun. 

So it was just her, alone, in the large room rented out for the girls. Katsuna had gotten changed into her spare clothes before settling in the corner to read a book. 

It might have done a good job at occupying her mind but unfortunately not her stomach. 

"I'm sure it'll be okay just to go get some food," she thought to herself whilst lowering the book.

She wandered down the halls of the inn, her slippers making the wooden floor creak with every step. Once turning the corner, her eyes laid upon a vending machine that was kept neatly by the wall. 

"Perfect," she sighed in silent victory.

Once her nutritious meal of a family packet of minstrels and jumbo carton of chocolate milk was safely in her clutches, she made her way back to the room. 

However, once turning the corner, the girl collided with something, sending her tumbling backwards. As if by instinct, Katsuna reached her the food, just being able to grasp them before crashing onto the floor below. 

At least the meal was safe. 

"Look where you're going idiot." 

The familiar voice made the girl whip her head up in shock, her suspicions correct. 

"Karma?" 

"Who else," he replied nonchalantly, his eyes glancing over to the chocolate in her hand, "And who knew you were such a piggy."

Katsuna puffed her cheeks at the rude remark before scrambling to her feet. 

"You're just jealous cuz you're not having any," she retorted. 

"As if," Karma spat, stuffing his hands in his pockets.

"I thought you were out with the rest of the class anyway," Katsuna huffed, annoyed at his presence.

He averted his eyes away from the girl in front of him, his composure becoming slightly rigid.

"I just didn't feel like it," he muttered before making his way passed her. 

"Wait.." Katsuna reached her free hand forwards, grasping onto his arm.

"Um.. er.. I just... I just want to say I'm sorry for distracting you in that fight."

"You got really hurt because of me and I know an apology doesn't do much but.."

"Look, I couldn't care less about getting beaten up," Karma grumbled, yanking his arm from her grip, "I've been through worse, that was nothing." 

"Even so.."

"Look, I don't really know what your problem is but I couldn't care less about an apology right now," he muttered, his eyes staring intensely at the floor. 

_"If anything, I should be the one apologising to you."_

His statement was only a slight whisper but Katsuna heard it. 

"What do you.."

The boy quickly turned defensive, distancing himself from Katsuna in a hurry. His cheeks were tinged slightly red but the regret in his eyes was the only thing drawing in her focus. 

"J-just forget I said anything." 

With that, the boy marched down the hallway, disappearing from sight, leaving Katsuna stunned. 

She couldn't believe the words that just came out of the redhead's mouth. 

_Was he... was he blaming himself?_


	21. Blossoming Relations

It was evening time in Kyoto and all of Class 3-E were back at the traditional inn they have been staying at for their school trip. With dinner in their bellies, the students were now free to do whatever they liked for the reminder of the evening before their sleep curfew. 

"Guess what!" Rio grinned, huddled close to Kaede in the corner of their room, "I just saw the octopus heading into the bathroom." 

"Right... am I'm supposed to be excited because?" Kaede sighed, a bead of sweat appearing on her head as she anticipated her friend's words. 

"Come on silly, let's go sneak a peek!" the blonde haired girl smiled, her eyes lit with excitement. 

"What?!" Kaede exclaimed, her cheeks tinged pink at her pervert friend's announcement. 

"Jeez not like that Kaede," Rio gushed, "I mean like we have no idea what he's hiding under his teaching outfit!"

"What if we find some sort of major weakness that can help with our assassination attempts?"

"I see.." Kaede commented, her finger tapping rhythmically on her chin as she thought of the proposition. 

"Right?!" her friend chirped, grabbing the green haired girl by the arm before dragging her out the room, "Let's go!!!"

The pair made their way down the hallway in a hurry, scampering to the men's bathroom. They silently crouched by the door before opening it slowly. 

"What are you doing?" 

The voice made the pair jump back in fright, their hearts jumping out of their chests. 

"Jeez Nagisa, you gave me a friggin heart attack," Rio gasped, clutching her chest tightly. 

"Sorry guys," he smiled weakly, placing his hand behind his head, "It's just you guys seem to be doing something pretty weird, ya know.. outside the mens bathroom."

"It's not what you think!" Kaede yelped, her head hot with embarrassment, "We're just scoping out Koro-sensei, in a non perverted way of course." 

"Ahh I understand you now," Nagisa hummed, "Well I'm pretty curious too." 

The now trio scurried into the bathroom, eager to catch a glimpse of their target... in a non-sexual way of course. 

The warmth of the steam rose as they made their way closer to the bath. 

"Any second now.." Rio whispered, tiptoeing towards the last hurdle. She pushed the sliding door, her beady eyes focused straight ahead. 

The hairs on her arm were standing up in anticip- what?

"Seriously?!" the students choursed. 

There, in the bathtub, was Koro-sensei completely covered head to tenacle with bubbles, scrubbing himself down. 

"Oh, well hello my wonderful students!" Koro-sensei beamed as he continued to clean himself. 

"Sir, you do realise that we're not supposed to add anything to the water..." Nagisa exhaled, referring to the mass amounts of bubbles surrounding their teacher. 

"No need to worry, this is just my mucus."

"GROSS!" 

"Well guys, this is the best chance we're gonna get, let's get him!" Rio declared, holding her anti-sensei knife high in the air, "There's no way he can escape with us blocking the door!"

The girls charged at towards their target, leaving the defenseless Nagisa to cover the exit. 

"This simply will not do!!" the octopus announced, jumping out the bathtub. Something that looked like green jelly shaped like the inside of the bathtub was wrapped around the teacher, hiding his body from the prying eyes of his students.

"What the hell is that?" Rio sputtered. 

"It's jelly broth!" Koro-sensei answered, as if it was supposed to make any sense, "Now if you'll excuse me." 

Somehow, using the 'jelly broth' as a lubricant, Koro-sensei managed to slip out the small open window that face built into the wall opposite the students. 

He was gone, slipping through their fingers once again. 

"Well at least this makes for good notes!" 

"Shut up Nagisa."

~~~~~

Back in the male dorm room, the boys of Class 3-E were ranking their favorite girls in order. 

"So currently we have Kanzaki and Katsuna tied at the top," Maehara revealed to the huddled group of boys, "No surprise with Kanzaki but Katsuna's different." 

"I voted for her because she's super cute when she stares off into space," Mimura commented.

"I like that she can cheer you up but Kanzaki has my heart," Sugino smiled, dreamily thinking of his precious Kanzaki. 

"Well my vote was because she's super badass, especially in her fight with Karma," Terasaka stated, gesturing punches with his fists. 

"Speaking of, have you guys seen him anywhere?" Nagsia mentioned, just as the door slid open, a redhead sipping on a orange soda entering the room. 

"Speak of the devil and he shall appear," Sugino murmured as he eyed the boy. 

"Perfect timing," Maehara grinned, "Come on Karma, spill the beans, you've got the hots for Katsuna haven't you?" 

"Huh.. seriously is that what you think?" the crimson head replied nonchalantly, sitting down in the corner. 

"Don't deny it, I watched you get all chummy chummy with her in class," Terasaka sniggered, "Oh Katsuna, I love you so much, let's kiss- OW!"

"That's what you get for spouting shit," Karma smirked after smacking the boy around the head.

"Come on Karma, we know there's gotta be something going on between you two," Isogai insisted. 

"Sorry to disappoint but there's really nothing going on," Karma sighed, "Though if I had to go for someone in our group, it would probably have to be Okuda." 

"Are you serious?!" 

"She could make some really dangerous good with her chemistry skills," Karma grinned sadistically, "It would be a match made in heaven!" 

"More like hell.." Sugino mumbled, creeped out by the redhead. 

"Well now that you've said that, you won't mind me making some moves on her then," Mimura smiled, "I've been thinking of asking her-"

The sound of soda can crashing to the floor silenced the boy in mid sentence, alerting the boys to look in Karma's direction. 

The boy was scowling fiercely directly at Mimura, his fists trembling by his sides. As he came to terms with what was happening, Karma shook his head, placing his hand on his forehead before chuckling slightly. 

"Excuse me."

He wandered out the dorm, closing the door behind him. 

"Shit I totally pissed him off just now.." Mimura yelped, "That's it, I'm fucked." 

" I knew it!" Maehara gloated, "He totally does have the hots for her." 

"Well, I will agree that that was pretty strange just now," Nagisa murumed, looking off into the direction of where the redhead had exited. 

_I wonder.._

~~~~~

Minutes before the boy's chat began, the girls of Class 3-E decided to do their own ranking. 

"Come on girls, who wants to go first," Rio smirked, rubbing her hands together as she anticipated the juicy gossip, "How about you Kaede?" 

"Umm, well..." the green haired girl stammered, twiddling her thumbs in her lap. 

"I know, you've got a crush on Nagisa haven't ya?" Hinata chimed, making the girl heat up with embarrassment, "I knew it!" 

"It's just... he's really kind.." Kaede mumbled, blushing madly. 

"I can kinda see why you'd be into him, but Mr Karasuma is my cup of tea!" Hinano declared. 

"Hun, that ain't never gonna happen," Rio stated, looking in dismay at the eager girl, "Personally, I think Maehara or Isogai are pretty decent."

"Gross, isn't Maehara a player?" Kataoka repelled. 

"Yeah, but that doesn't stop him from looking pretty handsome I guess," Rio replied, shrugging her shoulders casually. 

"Well I think Karma's the best looking out of the bunch," Yada giggled.

"It's a shame he's such a psycho.." Fuwa interjected. 

"True!" 

"Well I don't know, I think he can be really nice once you get to know him," Okuda chimed, the innocence making the others sigh. 

"Actually, isn't Katsuna pretty close with the guy?" Rio mentioned, glancing over to the raven haired girl in the corner reading a book. 

"Hey Katsuna!" 

Katsuna looked up from her book at the mention of her name. 

"What..." She chuckled nervously as she was greeted with multiple curious stares. 

"Are you and Karma like.. you know?" Kaede gushed, her cheeks tinged pink at the idea of romance.

"Like what......wait.....GROSS! NO WAY! WITH THAT FREAK OF NATURE?!"

"I mean, denial is the first step towards love," Rio snickered, watching as the girl heated up. 

"Well not in this case," Katsuna huffed, embarrassed by the remark, "I'm going to go get something to drink."

After shutting the door, the rest of the girls erupted in gossip, chatting about a new romance that may be blooming in their very own classroom. 

Things were about to get interesting in the Assassination Classroom. 

~~~~~

"Denial is the first step towards love my ass," Katsuna grumbled, stomping towards the vending machine for the second time in the day. 

As she was reaching down to collect her chocolate milk, something caught her eye. 

A boy with crimson hair sauntering towards the exit of the inn. 

~~~~

_**"If anything, I should be the one apologising to you."** _

~~~~

"If he won't tell me what he meant, well I guess I'm just going to have to make him."

With that statement said, the raven haired girl tiptoed after the boy, hoping to finally resolve things. 

_Little did she know, things were only going to become more complicated._


	22. The Stars Above

_"If he won't tell me what he meant, well I guess I'm just going to have to make him."_

_With that statement said, the raven haired girl tiptoed after the boy, hoping to finally resolve things._

_Little did she know, things were only going to become more complicated._

~~~~~

Katsuna tiptoed forward, watching her breathing as he eyes were trained on the boy just a few paces ahead of her. 

She had meant to be straight forward with her approach but somewhere along the line, her intentions had shifted into nothing short of stalking the guy. Katsuna sighed, disappointed at herself for being so awkward at times like these. It seemed that anything the redhead was involved in always meant trouble for her but regardless, she continued to follow him. 

He stopped, turning his head behind him. 

_Shit._

Katsuna quickly dived behind the tree to her right, her heart pounding whilst she prayed that he wouldn't see her in this state. 

_What the hell am I doing?_

His footsteps started up again, encouraging Katsuna to take a small peek at his movements. 

"Thank god," she exhaled, wiping the sweat from her forehead. 

After a while, she reached a long staircase leading up towards a secluded grassy area. 

"Why would he come here?" Katsuna mumbled questionably, "Oh crap, where'd he go?"

"I wouldn't have taken you for a stalker either," a voice spoke, scaring the shit out of the girl. 

"Jesus christ, are you trying to give me a heart attack?" she breathed dramatically. 

"Well you're the one following me around so what's up with that?" Karma excused, strolling towards the grass.

"It's not what it looks like," Katsuna snorted, crossing her arms defensively, "I had a purpose but then I just got carried away.."

"Okay so what's the purpose?"

The boy was now laying on the ground, using his arms as a pillow for his head. 

"I'll answer that if you answer this question first," the girl replied, walking over to the boy slowly. 

"Well that hardly seems fair," he grunted. 

"Life's not fair so suck it up Akabane," she declared, "Why'd you come here, you know you're gonna get into so much shit for leaving the inn."

"Huh, you seriously think I give one?" the boy scoffed, "What's the worst thing that can happen anyway."

"But to answer your question," he snatched Katsuna's wrist, startling the girl. He used this to his advantage, pulling down on his grip, sending her crashing towards the floor next to him. 

"What the hell was that for asshole," Katsuna spat, rubbing her head from the impact. 

"Oh shut up and look up you idiot," Karma dismissed her words, pointing up towards the sky. 

Katsuna lifted her head up to the sky, holding her breath as her eyes widened at the sight.

_How hadn't she noticed?_

"I read there was a meteor shower tonight and researched the best place to view it because I don't know Kyoto as well," Karma explained, divulging himself in the sight before him.

"This place was said to be a great spot to watch it from, so I came here." 

Katsuna listened to his words but was unable to create her own. 

Endless streams of white painted the pitch black canvas as if fairies were dancing across the sky.

She reached a hand up into the night sky as if she was trying to touch the shining lights.

"Wow.." she managed, awestruck by the magical display before her. 

Unbeknownst to her, Karma's eyes had gradually fallen onto the girl next to him. 

He was unable to tear them away from hers. It was if the stars were reflecting themselves right into Katsuna's irises. 

"Memorizing.." 

The word had escaped his lips before he even had time to stop it. 

_Shit._

Karma seized up, the heat rising to his cheeks as he anticipating the next few seconds in complete silence. 

"Aren't they just," Katsuna smiled, completely lost in the scenery.

_Thank god._

The boy tried to relax after narrowly dodging a bullet but his stomach was full of butterflies. 

"What the hell is this.." he thought, clenching his fists in a mixture of confusion and annoyance towards himself. 

"Thanks."

The word broke his train of thoughts as Karma looked back up towards the girl. She was no longer smiling, now seeming lonely and conflicted as she referred to the incident that took place only the day before.

A desperate urge began to rise up in him, his hand now acting on its own as it edged closer towards Katsunas. Karma had to physically stop himself, retracting his hand and placing the back of it on his forehead to cover his eyes. 

"You shouldn't be saying that you know," he muttered, "Because,"

**"It's my fault."**

The pair immediately looked at each other in surprise, shocked at the shared response. 

Before they knew it, they began chuckling, relieving all their pent up stress that had been caused over the past day. 

"Jeez what a trip," Katsuna exhaled, looking back up towards the sky as a comforting silence laid in the atmosphere. 

The meteor shower had stopped, but the stars still shine as brightly as ever. 

**"Don't distance yourself idiot, you're making everyone worry about you."**

The statement caught Katsuna off guard, a familiar sick feeling creeping back into her stomach like a parasite. 

It was as if her guts were being scrunched up inside her. 

She looked off to the side, hiding her pained expression. 

"Let's go back, it's way past-"

"I mean it," Karma interrupted, his voice clear of doubt. 

"You don't know what you're talking about so leave it." Katsuna shot coldly. 

Her tone stabbed like a dagger into the boy but he wasn't willing to give up just yet. 

"I'm going to find out what you're so afraid of," he announced, making Katsuna whip her head around to meet his stern gaze. 

"And once I do, **I'm going to crush it**." 


	23. Choo Choo Pizza

_Finally home huh.._

Katsuna kicked off her shoes, too exhausted to sum up the energy to place them in the corner neatly like she would usually do. However, recently she hadn't bothered.

"Shit," she mumbled as her foot crunched on the envelopes scattered amongst the floor. 

Katsuna didn't even need to look to know what they were about. 

Her tiny apartment, consisting of a bedroom, kitchen and bathroom, was more of less bare. 

A cheap futon was laid out on her bedroom floor, surrounded by textbooks, paper and pens.

The kitchen was narrow, managing only to fit a basic oven, fridge and sink. An ironing board was stored in the corner, though Katsuna would usually have to use the public washing machines located in the basement of the flat building. 

Last but not least, the bathroom consisted of only a toilet, a sink and a low-priced shower. 

It wasn't always like this however. When Katsuna had first moved in with the help of her grandparents, they had given her plenty of utensils and house items to spice up her living quarters. As time passed on and the bills had grew, Katsuna had to resort to selling these items, only keep the bare necessities.

Although, it wasn't enough to keep selling items and as her debt built up, Katsuna was now coming up to face eviction if she didn't come up with anything else soon.

"Maybe they've gotten back to me," she muttered, sitting by the plug socket where her laptop was charging. 

It was so old that it needed a consistent charger plugged in, otherwise it would run out of battery the second she tried to turn it on. The funds just hadn't been there so she could buy a new one, plus there were more pressing things to pay for than a crappy laptop. 

Katsuna searched up the job finding website she'd been applying in hopes that a job would take an interest. Her impantient eyes scanned the screen, the page loading so slow that it felt an entire year that passed by. 

"Holy crap!" 

Sure enough, after weeks of trying, she'd gotten a reply.

~~~~

_**"Hello Sakame Katsuna,** _

**_I am Mr Mori, manager of your local Choo Choo Pizza. I'm delighted you have taken an interest in us and would like to offer a interview with you as soon as you are available._ **

**_Please call me on this phone number once you get this email._ **

**_+012x-xx6-78xx_ **

**_I'm looking forward to meeting you._ **

_**Kind regards,** _

**_Mr Mori"_ **

~~~~~

Katsuna scrambled to her feet, scampering over to her coat pocket to retrieve her phone to dial the number. 

**_"Hello, this is Choo Choo Pizza, what can I do for you?"_ **

"Hello, this is Sakame Katsuna, I just received an email from Mr Mori about a possible job interview. He told me to call this number." 

**_"Ahh yes, hold on one minute Miss,"_ **

.....

.......

**_"Hello again, yes, Sakame Katsuna was it? Mr Mori is currently out now but we can schedule a meeting for the both of you tomorrow at 2pm, does that work for you?"_ **

"Yes that's perfect, thank you." 

**_"Great, we'll see you there, bye now."_ **

"Bye." 

With the conversation ended, Katsuna felt a small weight lift from her shoulders. She took a quick side glance towards the envelopes on the floor, exhaling lightly before making her way to the kitchen. 

Upon opening the fridge, she grimaced in distaste at the near-empty shelves. 

"I guess it's a trip to the convenience store for me," she groaned, lifting herself back up. 

She decided to get changed into some warmer clothes due to the evening cold and finally adventured out towards her local store. 

"Jeez, it's chilly out here," Katsuna murmured, stuffing her hands into her coat pockets.

She looked up, the stars still young but shining brightly.

"At least it's a clear sky tonight," she breathed, taking in the view. 

~~~~

**_"Memorizing.."_ **

~~~~

_Crap._

"Why am I thinking of him.." Katsuna huffed to herself. 

~~~~~

**_"I'm going to find out what you're so afraid of and once I do, I'm going to crush it."_ **

~~~~~

The heat immediately rose to her cheeks as she retraced his words in her mind.

"Oh hell no!" she yelled, slapping her cheeks aggressively. 

Katsuna made eye contact with a couple passing by, both of them giving her weird looks. She looked away, embarrassed by her sudden outburst. 

"Damn that Akabane," she cursed, increasing her pace, "Making me look like a complete weirdo." 

"He probably didn't mean those words anyway," she muttered, entering the convenience store, "Yeah he's probably teasing me again."

Katsuna scrunched up her face in annoyance whilst scanning the different flavours of pot noodles. She reached for her favorite flavour, BBQ Pulled Pork, before making her way over to the cashier. 

"Ugh, what an ass, making me get all worked up."

She glanced up at the cashier who seemed a little taken aback. It was then Katsuna realized that from the outside, her facial expression had made it seem like she was pissed off at the cashier. Instinctively, she forced a smile, but that only unsettled the situation more. 

_Why can't the ground just swallow me up?_

_Fucking Akabane._

~~~~~~

"When can you start?" 

Katsuna was shocked at the question. She'd only just arrived at her local pizza place and barely introduced herself to her new manger before being handed a bunch of papers that needed filling out and now this. 

"Um well, whenever really," she replied hesitantly. _So much for the interview._

"Great, I'll show you around now so you can familzr yourself with the layout," Mr Mori announced, not even skipping a beat. 

He was a short middle aged man with thick rectangular glasses and an enormous moustache. A black cap covered his balding head and a red shirt held in his growing stomach only barely. 

Katsuna grinned nervously before following behind.

"Even though you'll be on delivery, we like to train our staff so that they know all areas of our business, so that'll include cashier and kitchen work," Mr Mori explained, gesturing to the areas as they passed. 

"This is so that none of the staff have an excuse to lounge around," he eyed Katsuna, smiling subtly, "However I don't think you need to worry, I'm sure you're a hardworking young lady."

"Thank you sir haha.." Katsuna replied, her nervous calming slightly. 

Despite his looks, Mr Mori seemed like a nice guy, a little too indulgent at times, probably due to the temptations of working at a pizza joint, but overall a sweet simple man. 

He carried on, explaining all the details in each department, until they finally reached the office. 

"....and to your age, we will have to get you to deliver the pizzas on a bicycle instead of a car," Mr Mori finished, sitting in his desk chair, "Do you have any questions?"

"I don't think so," Katsuna replied, settling in the seat opposite, "I'll just learn as I go."

"Perfect," he smiled, handing her a pen so she could fill out the contracts. 

After signing the papers and being given her work uniform, Katsuna was officially able to start working for first shift. Mr Mori had prompted her to start as soon as possible, which just so happened to be today. 

It was going well for the most part. The customers were nice enough for people who were ordering pizzas and kitchen staff were easy to get along with. The hours were passing by quickly as Katsuna did her best to keep up with the rest of the work team. 

It gave her something to think of besides school and bills and for that she was contempt. 

The clock had just struck 8pm, signalling the end of her shift. 

Katsuna wiped her forehead as she made her way to the changing area for a well deserved rest before heading home. 

"Good work today," Mr Mori called, waving a hand out of his office doorway, "Get home safe."

"Will do sir," Katsuna replied, smiling in satisfaction. 

"Hang on, do you mind doing this one delivery," a teammate called, clearly stressed, "I'm supposed to do it, but my wife's just gone into labour." 

"O-oh sure," Katsuna mumbled as the pizza was shoved into her hands. She checked the address, sighing in relief as it wasn't too far away. 

"I guess I'll just have to get changed when I get home," she thought as she made her way out the building and towards the bike shed. 

She'd been given the okay to use the companies bike's due to not owning one. 

"I can't wait to get something to eat.." Katsuna salvourated at the thought of food, the pizza's smell not helping the situation. 

She patted her grumbling stomach as she hopped onto the bike and began pedaling towards her destination. 

The address luckily was only a 10 minute bike ride and happened to be in same sort of direction as her apartment building. 

"62 Have Road... okay," she muttered to herself, eyeing the increasing numbers on the houses. 

It seemed to be a decent neighbourhood, nothing too fancy despite the houses being pretty large accompanied with a garage. 

These types of houses were something Katsuna only dreamed about living in, if she had a somewhat normal family. Somewhere that she could properly call home. 

"56, 58, 60... 62!" 

Katsuna pulled up by the entrance to the drive, chaining the bike to the lampost. She grabbed the pizza and made her way by to the front door, ringing the doorbell. 

_Nothing._

"Come on, I'm starving..." she grumbled, ringing the doorbell a second time impatiently. 

"I'm coming I'm coming.." a voice called from inside the house. 

_Wait..._

A series of chains being unlocked followed before the door swung open.

_That voice..._

"Jeez, calm down on the doorbell will you-"

_Shit._

Katsuna looked up at the familiar mercury eyes that looked just as surprised as hers. 

"Well well, it seems my day just got a bit more interesting." 

_Fucking Akabane._


	24. Pizza in the Dark

_Katsuna looked up at the familiar mercury eyes that looked just as surprised as hers._

_"Well well, it seems my day just got a bit more interesting."_

_Fucking Akabane._

_~~~~~_

Karma leant against the door frame, crossing his arms as he mischievously smirked down at the grumbling girl in front of him. His plain black t shirt draped across his torso, complemented with some dark jeans.

"That'll be 14.99," Katsuna groaned, handing the boy the pizza box. 

"What's with the face, aren't you happy to see me," he teased, making her blood boil with annoyance.

"Give me the money and piss off Akabane," she spat, scowling harshly. 

"Well that's a bit rude, I'm a customer aren't I?" he replied, feigning hurt, "I might just have to leave a bad review about your behaviour."

"Ugh just leave me alone, I'm so sick of you-" Katsuna began but was interrupted by her loud stomach gurgling. 

"Hungry are we?" Karma snickered as her cheeks started to burn from embarrassment. 

"I'm leaving," she huffed, turning her back on the boy. 

"Ahh but don't you need the money?" he cooed, waving the cash in the air. 

_Crap._

"Just give me it please," Katsuna sighed, her patience wearing thin.

"Come and get it," Karma chuckled, running inside the house like a child. 

"I'm not going inside your house you creep," she replied, rubbing her temples as a sharp pain began to stab her forehead. 

"Well either pay for my pizza out of your own pockets or you come and get mine," he sneered, flashing the cash like bait for a fish. 

"You're such an asshole," Katsuna muttered, hesitantly walking into the house. 

She followed the redhead into the living room, watching as he placed the pizza on the table. 

His house was full of pretty normal stuff, which was somewhat comforting. She had imagined that he lived in some demon castle with a kinky dungeon like in fifty shades of grey. 

However, the basement was still a possibility. 

_Creepy._

She heard the front door close and observed the boy carefully as he came back into the living room. He opened the pizza box letting it's tempting aroma fill Katsuna's nostrils. She began to salivate as her stomach grumbled again. 

"Are you gonna stand up all night?" the redhead smirked, taking a slice of the pizza. 

"I came here for the money," she exhaled, forcibly removing her eyes from the enticing sight. 

"What are you, some sort of hooker?" he scoffed, his mouth full of food. 

"You know that's not what I meant," Katsuna stated, dismissing his words as she scanned the room for the cash, "I'm here now so give it to me, I want to go home."

"Here you go," Karma reached his hand out filled with the money. Just as Katsuna was about to take it from him, he quickly pulled back his hand, smirking at the confusion on the girl's face.

"Only if you eat this pizza with me." 

Katsuna was taken back by his request, instinctively searching her head for the catch. 

"Come on, it's simple," he muttered, "Eat this pizza with me and I'll let you leave."

His face seemed honest enough. 

_Maybe there isn't a catch.._

"Fine..?" Katsuna replied, hesitantly sitting herself on the floor opposite the crimson haired boy. She reached for a slice of the pizza and began chewing. 

Her taste buds screamed with excitement as soon as the food touched. Completely captivated by the delicious taste, she moaned loudly, completely forgetting where she was. 

"You did not just have a food orgasm on my living room floor," Karma snickered, milking in the look of annoyance from the girl. 

"I just haven't had pizza in a long time," she mumbled defensively, chewing silently. 

"Seriously?" Karma sputtered, completely perplexed by her remark, "It's like an unwritten rule to have pizza at least once every month!" 

"Well shit," Katsuna answered, neglecting to tell the boy of her money troubles. 

_At least I don't have to spend extra to buy something tonight..._

She decided to change the subject whilst biting into another piece. 

"It's pretty quiet, are your parents out?" 

"I guess you could say that," Karma replied, shrugging his shoulders, "They work overseas so they're rarely ever here so it's just me most of the time."

Katsuna noted his distant gaze, coming to the conclusion that he secretly misses them but doesn't want to show it. 

It interesting how you can see a completely different side to someone when they feel comfortable in their own space. 

_Maybe he's not so bad.._

"So what's up with the job, you look like an idiot in that attire?" 

_Nope, he's still an asshole._

"I just wanted to get one, what's it to you?" 

"Look at you, Miss Rebel, I'm sure you're familiar with the school rules." 

_Oh fuck.. I completely forgot._

At Kunugigaoka Junior High School, the principal had issued a rule stating that no student should participate in any part-time jobs whilst studying at his institution. 

His reasoning is that it would distract his pupils from their studies, therefore, if any student is caught having a part time job, they will be punished.

The student in question would be sent straight to Class 3-E.

If caught again.. imeditate suspension. 

Katsuna couldn't afford to lose her place at the school. She had managed to get in for free only due to her high grades. It was supposed to get her on track to live a good life, allowing her to enter colleges and then onto higher education. 

It was here only ticket out. 

She peered back up at the boy, laughing nervously in response. 

"What, you worried about me Akabane, how cute~" 

"Pfffttt~ you wish," he sneered, stuffing another slice into his mouth, "Just wondering what I should do now I've got this against you."

Karma watched in pleasure as the horror of the realisation hit Katsuna like a tidal wave. 

"You wouldn't~" she seethed, clenching her fists tightly. 

"I could go straight up to the principal and tell him," he smirked, observing Katsuna as her eyes widened in terror, "But that wouldn't be so fun." 

"There is one thing I could do~" 

He slowly stood up and crouched by the side of Katsuna, getting close to her ear. 

"I can fuck you."

_So it's like that huh.._

_He's no different._

Without missing a beat, Katsuna completely switched off. 

She twisted her body round, clasping her hands on his shoulders before forcibly shoving him down. His back hit the floor hard though neither paid attention to it. In the movement, she moved her leg over, placing it in between his thighs, purposely leaning forward. She snaked her hands up his arms slowly, allowing her fingers to grace his skin tenderly. Once reaching his wrists, she gripped them tightly, trapping the boy underneath her.

Karma was completely taken off guard, there being too many acts of human touch to focus on. The rubbing against his crotch, the tightening grip on his wrists, her deep warm breaths on his bare neck simulating such heat. 

His heart began to race, something that hadn't happened in a while. 

_I-I need to stop this._

"H-ha.. ha.." 

He began to chuckle nervously, turning his head to the side to try and hide his red tinged cheeks. 

"I was just kidding.."

The words jolted Katsuna back to her situation. 

_S-seriously.._

A tear dropped onto Karma's cheek, making him look up into her vulnerable eyes in surprise. 

Without a second thought, Katsuna stood up, wiping the tears streaming down her cheeks with her wrist. She grabbed the money off the table next to the cold pizza, before stumbling out the house in a hurry. 

All Karma could do was stay lying down on the floor in complete shock as his house door slammed shut, signalling that she had left. A limp hand reached up towards his cheek, touching the newly damp skin. He gritted his teeth, slamming a closed fist on the floor next to him in bitter anger and frustration towards himself.

_Shit._


	25. Transfer Student?

"Despite all the crap that went down, I thought the trip was a pretty good experience," Sugino commented, his facial expression turning to despair as he gazed over to the E Class campus, "Sucks that we're back to normal now."

"You seriously think this is normal," Nagisa grinned, peering up to his baseball crazed friend. 

The pair were steadily pacing towards the wooden campus that was anything but typical. For Nagisa, the place had grown on him much like the same feeling of a second home. 

Outside the entrance, they noticed Okajima salivating whilst his eyes were fixated on his phone screen. The two students sighed, knowing full well of the boy's perverted habits. 

"How much do you bet he's staring at a picture of the new transfer student?" Sugino whispered into Nagisa's ear. 

The class had been sent an email the previous night of the new announcement of a female transfer student. It was surprising to say the least, knowing that there was something suspicious about the mysterious girl arriving so late into the school year. However, this didn't stop the students from being tingled with excitement at the thought of another joining their team. 

The more the merrier in the Assassination Classroom. 

"Dude have you see this chick, she's adorable!!" Okajima wailed in pure bliss, holding the phone against his heart. 

"Knew it," Sugino exhaled, placing the palm of his hand on his head in distress. 

"Well we might as well introduce ourselves," Nagisa shrugged, entering the building with the others following behind. 

The trio made their way down the corridor and into their classroom. 

_Huh?_

"What the hell is that?" Sugino questioned, gesturing towards the large rectangular metal box that was placed in the corner of the room. 

It had some sort of video screen built into the front making them even more curious.

Hinano and Kataoka were had arrived before the boys, seeming just as perplexed. 

"Honestly we have no idea," Hinano answered, "It was here before we got here."

"Well it's gotta be something to do with the transfer student right?" 

The boys turned to see Katsuna standing behind them, her gaze observing the ominous box. 

"Yeah you're probably right," Nagisa agreed uncomfortably, making his way over to his desk, "We'll find out once class starts I guess." 

He still felt awkward around her, especially since he had to rely on her to protect him but when the tables turned, he failed to do the same and had to rely on Karma. 

Katsuna noted his obvious discomfort, avoiding eye contact as she silently made her way to the back of the classroom. 

_Not a good start._

_~~~~~~_

**_"Don't distance yourself idiot, you're making everyone worry about you."_ **

~~~~~~

His words flashed in her mind, startling her thoughts for a moment before the memories of Saturday's events followed. 

~~~~~

_**"Just wondering what I should do now I've got this against you."** _

_**.....** _

_**.....** _

_**"I can fuck you."** _

_**.....** _

_**.....** _

_**"I was just kidding.."** _

~~~~~

The conversation replayed over and over in her head, his words making her bite hard down on her tongue, the pain barely masking the spike of disgust that impaled her chest. The complete and utter humiliation from the events that had played out on Saturday made her stomach churn.

_Have I fallen so low that I can't even think of a better solution than just spreading my legs??_

_How could I have let his words get to me?_

_How could I have been that **stupid**?_

"Why am I letting my guard down around him.." she pondered on the question, searching her mind for answers. 

~~~~~~

**"It's like an unwritten rule to have pizza at least once every month!"**

**.....**

**"They work overseas so they're rarely ever here so it's just me most of the time."**

**.....**

**"If anything, I should be the one apologising to you."**

**.....**

**"I'm going to find out what is making you upset, and I'm going to crush it."**

~~~~~~

"Ugh~ I'm so confused.." she muttered under her breath.

She squeezed her eyes closed and began massaging her temples in an attempt to soothe the oncoming ache. 

Just then, the chair beside hers screeched backward, making her seize her movements in an instant. 

_Crap._

Katsuna kept her eyes trained on the back of the chair in front of her in an attempt to focus on something that was the boy's presence. 

_Please don't speak to me_

_Please don't speak to me_

_Please don't speak to me_

_Please don't speak to me_

"Listen..." Karma began, wavering slightly. 

_Shit_

_Shit_

As if by a miracle, Karasuma-sensei marched into the classroom, directing everyone's focus towards the front. Somehow, it had stopped Karma from saying anything more. 

Maybe he was looking for an excuse to stop from the beginning. 

The students listened to their teacher began to explain the details of the black box and it's connection to the new transfer student.

It turns out that the government had issued a new way to defeat Koro-sensei using newly developed technology built by the best engineers in the world. 

They called it Autonomously Intelligent Fixed Artillery. 

Upon its name being called, the video screen on the front of the box suddenly began to flash on, displaying a girl with bright pink hair dressed in the Kunugigaoka school uniform. 

"It's nice to meet you all, thank you for having me," she spoke, her tone monotone, free from any emotion. 

"As I was saying, the A.I.F.A is registered into the foreign exchange student program, therefore you should address her the same way you do to the rest of your peers," Karasuma continued before turning to the doorway where Koro-sensei was stood. 

"And as a student, you cannot harm her in anyway so no fighting back."

"Hmm I see," Koro-sensei mumbled before a cocky smile stretched out on his face, "I can't wait to see what she can do."

~~~~~

"How the hell am I supposed to do this," Karma thought, staring at the girl in beside him intently. 

It was first period for Class 3-E and Koro-sensei was rambling about the book that was set as homework for the week. However, Karma's attention was only drawn to the raven haired girl who was avoiding eye contact at all costs. 

The guilt caused by his actions on Saturday had begun to really eat away at him over the course of the weekend. It was something that he rarely felt due to his arrogance and self-righteousness, but somehow this girl was changing that. 

"This is so annoying, what the hell is it about her.." he grumbled under his breath, gnashing his teeth together. 

"She's not even my type despite having an alright figure.. and maybe her eyes are a bit pretty... her nose is pretty cute too and her lips are so plump.. I wish I could..." 

Karma paused his thinking, retracing his words in utter astonishment as his cheeks blossomed pink. 

_WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK._

"Oh hell no, no way.. not her... there's no way.." he denied, shaking his head rapidly.

A memory from that evening slipped into his mind, the sensation of her on top of him, her deep warm breaths on his bare neck.. _shit._

_Maybe I..._

Her sniffling red face flashed in his thought, instinctively making him squeeze his fists tightly to hide the sharp sense of shame. 

"I-I need to apologise.." he concluded reluctantly, immediately shocked by his quiet remark. 

Karma Akabane.. _Apologise_?

_How the hell am I supposed to do that?_

He quickly side glanced his teacher who was completely distracted by his interest in romantic novels. Discreetly, Karma whipped out his phone hidden in his trouser pocket and began tapping on the screen. 

~~~~~

】 _How to apologize to a girl..._

→ _How to apologize to a girl **over text**_

_→ How to apologize to a girl **you love**  
_

_→_ _How to apologize to a girl **who hates you**_

_→_ _How to apologize to a girl **you offended**  
_

_→_ _How to apologize to a girl **you hurt**_ _  
_

_→_ _How to apologize to a girl **you like**_ _  
_

~~~~~

"Umm, well maybe this one..."

~~~~

】 _How to apologize to a girl..._

→ _How to apologize to a girl **over text**_

_→ How to apologize to a girl **you love**  
_

_→_ _How to apologize to a girl **who hates you**_

↳ 

● Write a letter saying sorry

● Accept your mistakes quickly

● Leave it to the person if he/she wants to forgive you

_→_ _How to apologize to a girl **you offended**  
_

_→_ _How to apologize to a girl **you hurt**_ _  
_

_→_ _How to apologize to a girl **you like**_

~~~~~~

"There's no way I'm writing a letter.." he scoffed, holding his head in his hand as he scrolled past the results. 

"What about this one, it's not like I like her.. I'm just doing it for research."

~~~~~

】 _How to apologize to a girl..._

→ _How to apologize to a girl **over text**_

_→ How to apologize to a girl **you love**  
_

_→_ _How to apologize to a girl **who hates you**_

_→_ _How to apologize to a girl **you offended**  
_

_→_ _How to apologize to a girl **you hurt**_ _  
_

_→_ _How to apologize to a girl **you like**_

↳ _ **  
**_

● **How to Apologize to Your Girlfriend**

~~~~~

_Shit._

"Just see what it says.. it doesn't matter.. stop making it into a big deal you idiot." 

~~~~~

】How to Apologize to Your Girlfriend

**Apologizing to your girlfriend might sound like a daunting task, but it's actually easier than you think.**

~~~~~ **  
**

"Huh.. really?"

~~~~~

**1\. Understand why she's upset.**

~~~~

"Well.. because I... I went to far."

_Now thinking of it, I was actually an asshole._

_She'd literally just been assaulted a few days before.. what the fuck is wrong with you._

_"I'm going to find out what's making you upset and I'm going to crush it..." Yeah right._

_So because it was someone else you get to feel anger towards them.. but when it comes to yourself, you start blaming others around you._

_Fucking Hypocrite._

Karma slapped his head with his palm as some sort of self-punishment before returning his focus back on the website. 

~~~~~

**2\. Do it in person.**

~~~~~

"Yeah, there's no way I can do it over text anyway.. I don't have her number."

~~~~~

**3\. Make sure to actually say sorry.**

**Acknowledge what you did wrong:** **Simply stating what you did wrong back to your girlfriend will go a long way**

~~~~~

"I guess.. damn this shit is difficult."

~~~~~

**4\. Acknowledge her feelings.**

**5\. Ask her to forgive you.** **  
**

~~~~~

Karma exhaled, turning his phone off and stuffing it back in his pocket. 

"Why am I overthinking this.." he sighed, peering back over to Katsuna. 

He observed how the loose hair strands fell in front of her face and how she subtly tucked them back behind her ear. 

_And why the heck is my heart racing?_


	26. Acknowledgment of Another

_Karma exhaled, turning his phone off and stuffing it back in his pocket._

_"Why am I overthinking this.." he sighed, peering back over to Katsuna._

_He observed how the loose hair strands fell in front of her face and how she subtly tucked them back behind her ear._

_And why the heck is my heart racing?_

~~~~~~

First period was drawing to a close with Koro-sensei writing the last of the examples on the chalkboard. 

With the octopus's back to the class, Kaede chose this moment to sneak a few words to her blue haired friend. 

"So like... I don't see any weapons attached to the A.I.F.A, do you have any ideas on how it's supposed to kill the guy?" 

She was voicing the same thoughts in Nagisa's mind as he shrugged in response. 

As if she had jinxed it, the machine switched on suddenly, running codes through it's interface as it burst into smoke. The unknowing class turned their heads just in time to see the sides of the A.I.F.A open, revealing two enormous automatic machine guns. 

"I guess that answers your question," Nagisa yelped, covering his head seconds before thousands of anti-sensei bbs started shooting out of the weapons.

The class erupted in a series of shouts and screams, many of the students diving onto the ground in search for cover from the ambush. Luckily for Katsuna, machine was by the side of her meaning the bullets were not directed at her. She watched in horror as her fellow peers were desperately trying to shelter themselves, the incident flashing back to Teresaka's attempt earlier in the year. 

Wait- Koro-sensei!

Her eyes darted up to the front of the classroom, astonished at the sight before her. Koro-sensei was only just managing to dodge the bbs using his mach 20 speed, something she didn't even think was possible due to the sheer speed and volume of the gun fire. 

I guess even a government-made killer machine can't defeat the octopus. 

"I appreciate your effort young lady," Koro-sensei praised, continuing to dodge the bbs, "However due to the safety of the other students, gun fire during class is strictly prohibited."

The gun fire paused, allowing the surrounding students to take a brief breather of relief. 

"What the hell!" Sugino shouted, narrowing his eyes at the metallic box. 

The machine ignored the boy's outburst, instead using the time to run more codes through it's system. 

"Understood," the A.I.F.A stated, "The next round of fire will be aimed more precisely." 

"The next??" Sugino blurted, the fear in his eyes reflecting the rest of the student's thoughts. 

"So it can evolve huh.." Koro-sensei thought, "No matter, it's still a machine."

The gun-fire began once again, though the class was now prepared for the violent ramage. They had crowed at the back, watching in anticipation as their teacher once again dodged the bbs. 

"Really, an identical attack?" Koro-sensei sighed disappointedly, "Where's your creativi-" 

The cocky octopus stopped mid sentence, his eyes following the movement of the cut off tentacle that was now falling to the classroom floor. 

The machine actually harmed him. 

_Holy crap._

"Interesting.. so she hit my blind spot... this might actually become difficult," Koro-sensei concluded, becoming a bit more worrying off the government engineered computer. 

The gunfire seized again as it calculated it's findings. 

"Second gun effect, percentage of killing target on third attack is 0.006%," the machine analysed, "Percentage of killing target before graduation is 90%."

"90%!!" Koro-sensei exclaimed, gulping the doubt in his throat. 

"Be on your guard Koro-sensei," the A.I.F.A spoke, her monotone voice become slightly sinister.

"Third attack is commencing now." 

~~~~~~

The machine continued it's ramage through the next two periods, only stopping to calculate it's next one. With each repetitive attack, the class's mood towards the government-made computer was quickly becoming sour by the second. 

The sound of the lunch bell ringing silenced the machine as it turned itself off for the hour. 

The class exhaled in exhaustion, packing up their empty textbooks due to not being able to note down a single thing in the lesson due to the persistent assassination attempts. 

"What a pain," Terasaka complained, leaning back in his chair, "Hey boys, what do you say about having a bit of fun eh?"

Karma side eyed the group, choosing not to get involved in their scheming as he watched them exit the classroom in a huddle. 

His objective was somewhere else anyway. 

"Acknowledge what I did wrong, acknowledge her feelings and ask for her forgiveness." 

He went over the steps in his head repetitively, his nerves shaking slightly. 

_I don't think I've ever been this nervous holy shit._

The crimson haired boy turned to Katsuna in an attempt to gain her attention. She glanced up at him, watching as he immediately darted his eyes off to the side. 

The words were getting caught in this throat, his tongue suddenly feeling swollen in his mouth. Karma coughed harshly, dislodging the sensations before bringing his eyes to the side to meet hers.

"I um.. look I'm sorry about what happened on Saturday." 

"What I did was completely out of order, forcing you into a corner like that and I swear I won't tell anyone about your job."

"Just.. this is really hard to say, but really, I am sorry, c-can you forgive me?"

....

.......

_Whaaaaaaat._

Katsuna's eyes widen in surprise at the words coming out of his mouth. Honestly, she was either expecting a half-assed apology or an insult.. but looking at Karma now, with his embarrassed facial expression and timid composure, how could she not forgive the guy. 

_He literally looks like a hamster._

The thought made her giggle unintentionally, it soon turning into a full on chuckle. 

Somehow, in all her mixed feelings about the redhead in front of her, an unexpected happiness surfaced, the emotion strong and fulfilling. 

"You ass," she laughed, "Okay, I'll forgive you.... if you let me eat your lunch."

"Seriously.. you want _food?"_ Karma sighed, reluctantly handing over his bento box filled with goods, "Fine.."

Her smile had somehow lifted a heavy weight that had laid on his chest and with it, he found himself reflecting the smile on his own lips. 

"Haha, you look all happy like a child," Katsuna teased, pointing at his face whilst stuffing the dumplings into her mouth. 

Karma blushed bright red as he scowled in response, "Well at least I'm not a fattie who shoves endless amounts of food in my mouth."

Katsuna narrowed her eyes at the rude remark, readying herself to retaliate. She had meant to say "Shut up asshole," but instead, due to the food inside her chompers, it came out all muffled as she spat bits of chewed meat onto the redhead's face. 

"Jesus that's gross!" he shrieked in horror, grabbing the sleeve of Katsuna's coat and wiping the food from his cheeks. 

"Hey don't use my coat sleeve asshole!" Katsuna seethed, the dumplings now swallowed, "And it serves you right, you should never comment on how much a girl eats."

"Oh. You're a girl? Sorry I didn't notice." 

Karma crossed his arms, his face completely blank as he spoke which infuriated Katsuna even more. 

"UGH you're such a-a an ASSHOLE!"

~~~~

The next period began, the students fearing the machine that was now starting back up. 

However, due to Terasaka's tampering, the A.I.F.A had been successfully restricted from using it's firearms. 

"Koro-sensei, please remove the tape, this goes against harming a student does it not?" the machine stated, attempting to relieve herself from the barrier. 

"Well there's no rule saying we can't do anything, plus how are we supposed to get anything done with you shooting up the place every 20 seconds?" Terasaka growled, folding his arms. 

"You kinda brought it on yourself," Katsuna shrugged, side eyeing her virtual classmate. 

And so went on the rest of the day, without any interruptions from the killing machine. 

~~~~~

"I'm really not looking forward to class today.." Nagisa sighed, "Can't we go complain to Karasuma-sensei about it?" 

"We could but I doubt any of the higher ups will do anything about it as it's the closest thing they've got towards killing the octopus," Sugino exhaled, his eyes concerning. 

"We'll just have to bere it for now.."

The pair opened the door, their eyes both noticing the same thing simultaneously. 

Somehow, the A.I.F.A had become larger in size, as if someone had come in and tampered with it. 

The screen immediately switched on, displaying a full body view of the girl, dressed in their school uniform, twirling around in a forest setting. 

"Good Morning! I hope we have a wonderful day today!" she beamed, smiling as if she didn't have a care in the world. 

_W-what... the... HELL?_


	27. Welcome Ritsu!

_The pair opened the door, their eyes both noticing the same thing simultaneously._

_Somehow, the A.I.F.A had become larger in size, as if someone had come in and tampered with it._

_The screen immediately switched on, displaying a full body view of the girl, dressed in their school uniform, twirling around in a forest setting._

_"Good Morning! I hope we have a wonderful day today!" she beamed, smiling as if she didn't have a care in the world._

_W-what... the... HELL?_

~~~~~~

"I see to it that I should add a few new adjustments to your new classmate," Koro-sensei explained once the whole class was sat in their seats. 

"Don't worry though, I didn't touch any of the data used to kill me." 

He gestured to the newly improved machine as the virtual student displayed her selection of machine guns. However, it was rather unsettling due to the innocence of her smile that was stretched out on her face. 

"You really are a great teacher Koro-sensei," the pink haired student thanked, spinning around in her virtual field setting. 

"Don't be fooled, she's still a machine after all, there's no way she can really feel things," Terasaka snapped, grabbing the attention of the virtual girl. 

"Ah, I understand, my actions up til now have been awful," she whimpered, tears brimming in her eyes, "I'm so sorry." 

The once sunny 2D background displayed on the screen quickly turned into a full on downpour as the girl began to weep. 

"Wow, well done Terasaka, feel good about making a girl cry? Katsuna defended,making the boy grimance his teeth before turning the other way in a huff. 

"I'll try my best to work with you all, please forgive me for my recent actions," the virtual girl bowed, the background now displaying a bit of sun as it shone through the darkened clouds. 

"You heard her," Koro-sensei grinned, addressing the rest of the class, "She's trying her hardest to work as a team so be kind." 

"I say we welcome her to the class," Isogai cheered, gaining the approval of the rest of his peers.

The class rep that had sort of effect on people. 

"I agree," Kataoka hummed, giving her new classmate a thumbs up, "Though I think we should give her a name."

"Yeah, Autonomously Intelligent Fixed Artillery just seems way too long and formal," Fuwa commented, tapping her chin as she thought. 

"What's Autonomous in Japanese?" Hayami questioned, joining in on the conversation. 

"Isn't it Jiristu?" Katsuna answered, "Wait, how about Ritsu?" 

"Yeah!" Fuwa chortled, "Ritsu, it's adorable!"

"Ritsu hmm," the virtual student mumbled before a bright smile surfaced on her lips, "I love it, thank you!"

The rest of the students grouped around their new classmate, introducing themselves and sharing common interests. 

"Looks like she will fit in huh," Katsuna exhaled, side eyeing the transfer student as she settled her head down on her desk. 

_I guess.. I'm a little jealous._

~~~~~

It'd been a couple weeks since Ristu had been introduced and accepted in Class 3-E. The class was outdoors, practicing their hand to hand combat skills against their each other. All the students had improved drastically since beginning their training, with now most pupils being able to land a hit on Karasuma-sensei himself. 

The class were currently observing the fight between Mimura and Katsuna, analysing each attack and defensive move in hope they could learn something for themselves. 

Two alternating punches narrowly missing each side of his face as the boy dropped low. He came up quickly, swinging his right arm round into a hook , making the raven haired girl lean backwards in defence. Mimura came back with his left arm, following through with a punch. Taking advantage of the off balance, Katsuna grabbed his left wrist, turning her whole body weight round as she bent his arm back in an attempt to restrain him. 

Mimura gritted his teeth as a shot of pain when up the back of his arm. His immediate thoughts were to himself released. Reaching under his arm, he attempted to punch Katsuna's knee but just as quickly, she blocked it with her loose hand. Mimura then swung backwards, elbowing the girl in the cheek. Katsuna released her hold on the boy as a stab of pain surfaced on her jaw. The orange haired boy used the opportunity to switch places with her, grabbing the back of her arm and twisting it backwards like she had previously just done to him. 

However, Katsuna realised what he was trying to do, slicing her hand through the air as she collided it just above Mimura's groin. Biting his tongue to silence the pain, Mimura attempted to grab her arm once more but Katsuna was quicker, jumping around her target and pulling him into a headlock. 

The boy leapt into action, trying everything to make her release him but her grip was only tightening. As he was beginning to lose air, he begrudgingly tapped on his opponent's shoulder twice, signaling defeat. 

Katsuna released her hold on the boy, sending him tumbling to the ground below as he gasped for air. 

Karasuma-sensei clapped his hands along with the rest of the class before nodding to the victorious girl in acknowledgement. 

"That's it for today," the teacher announced, folding his arms together, "Everyone go get changed." 

The students erupted into chatter as they stood up from the grassy bank. Katsuna offered a hand to Mimura who had now recovered from the headlock. He smiled weakly, accepting the hand as he was pulled up from the ground.

"Jeez, you really go hard don't ya?" he chuckled, rubbing a hand on the back of his neck, "That last move was insane, how'd you do that?"

Katsuna laughed nervously, swinging her arms back and forth as she wandered towards to wooden campus.

"I don't really know, it's just kinda instincts," she answered, shrugging slightly, "By the way, you've got some really good dodging, I'm kinda jealous."

Mimura flipped his hair to the side, playfully putting a deep tone on his voice as he spoke.

"Well it's just cause I'm so cool."

The two burst into hysterics, attracting the unwanted attention of a certain redhead. 

_What the hell is so goddamn funny?!_

Karma gritted his teeth in annoyance, observing the two students as they chattered on. 

"How about you come over to my house one time?" Mimura suggested casually, "I'd love to be able to learn more of your moves and in return I could cook some lunches-huh?"

Mimura glanced to the unwelcomed hand that had gripped tightly onto his shoulder. He began to tremble slightly as his eyes followed up to meet Karma's glare. 

"How about we go have a little chat yeh?" the redhead seethed, a sinister smirk tracing his lips. 

"Haha.. I don't think that's a good idea.." Mimura whimpered under the menacing stare. 

"Really, cause I think it's a great one," Karma smiled, a hint of insanity in his tone as he dragged his scrambling prey out of sight. 

"What a weirdo," Katsuna thought, sighing in confusion as she stepped inside the campus building. 

She looked down at her wristwatch, her heart sinking as she watched the hands ticked closer and closer towards the end of school hours. 

The principal had scheduled their next meeting to be afterhours. 

Using the events of today as a punching bag for her feelings, Katsuna was now left feeling defeated. 

She retraced her last conversation with the man, cursing herself for being weak even though she knew that if she goes to this one, there would be no doubt that she'd falter just as before. 

_Shit._


	28. Sonic Ninja

_The principal had scheduled their next meeting to be after hours._

_Using the events of today as a punching bag for her feelings, Katsuna was now left feeling defeated._

_She retraced her last conversation with the man, cursing herself for being weak even though she knew that if she goes to this one, there would be no doubt that she'd falter just as before._

_Shit._

~~~~~

"Jeez, Hawaii huh," Isogai exhaled, packing up his textbooks from the previous lesson. 

"Yep, I'm heading over to see the grand premiere of the new Sonic Ninja movie," Koro-sensei beamed, holding the leaflet in his tentacles. 

Katsuna sighed deeply, overhearing the conversation in low spirits. 

"What's up with you?" Karma sneered, whacking her on the back of the head with his notebook. 

"Would it kill you to be any less of a shithead?" she groaned in response, kicking the boy in the shin. 

"You know, I think it might just," he snickered, perching himself on his desk. 

"I'm done wasting my time with you," Katsuna huffed, swinging her book bag on her shoulder, "Hope I don't see you again." 

"You wound me," Karma whined playfully before grabbing his bag and following the girl out. 

"Are you deaf?" she grumbled, speeding up her movements, "Or do I need to draw it out in crayons so you'll understand?" 

She took a quick glance at her watch, gasping slightly at the time. 

_15 minutes._

_There's no way I'm getting there on time._

_I'm fucked._

"Aren't you going to tell me where we're going?" Karma interjected, making Katsuna whip her head round in irritation. 

"There is no _we_ so run along home, I'm already late as it is!" 

"Quit ya yapping, I'm gonna follow you anyway," the redhead shrugged, smiling brightly under Katsuna's clearly annoyed expression. 

The pair had made their way out of the old campus corridors, now travelling through field towards the entrance of the forest trail. 

"Hey Sir, wait up!"

Karma looked off in the direction of Nagisa's shout, catching sight of Koro-sensei just before he took off. He speculated that Nagisa wanted to go with the octopus to the movie premiere, due to both of them being a big fan of the franchise since first year. 

A plan sparked inside his mind as he grinned cunningly. 

Karma ran to where Katsuna was just about to enter the forest trail, scooping her up in his arms before laying her over his shoulder. 

"What the hell?!" Katsuna spluttered, banging her fists hard on the redhead's back in an attempt to get him to release her. 

Karma chuckled as he ran back towards the campus, waving his free arm to get the attention of his teacher. 

"Got room for 2 more?" 

"I didn't expect you to be a fan of comic books Karma?" Koro-sensei commented as the redhead threw Katsuna to the ground. 

"I don't really, I just like the director- _UGHH~_ " Karma answered before being interrupted by a vicious kick to the nuts. 

The boy collapsed to the ground, clutching his crown jewels in agony. 

"W-why would you.." he whimpered, the volume of his voice barely a whisper. 

"What the hell was that you prick!" Katsuna exclaimed, her cheeks burning from embarrassment, "And you could have _AT LEAST_ placed me on the ground like a _HUMAN BEING!"_

"I take it that you're not coming then Katsuna," Koro-sensei gulped, his tone cautious as he observed the girl in her rampage. 

"What?!" she spat, turning to meet her teacher. 

"Ha ha.. _pleasedonthurtme_ ," Koro-sensei blubbered, jumping back to distance himself. 

"The answers no, I have somewhere to be in... _holyshit_ 8 minutes!!"

Katsuna started to pace in the direction of the forest, however to no avail as a hand grabbed her shin. She peered down in disgust to see Karma grinning weakly. 

"Actually she'll be coming with us," he declared, slowly lifting himself up from the ground. 

"Ah I don't think so jackass," Katsuna argued, waving her finger in front of his face. 

"Oh come on, you're never going to make wherever you need to be anyway," Karma reasoned, gesturing with his hands, "Plus it's a trip to Hawaii, you gotta be stupid not to go.. _ohwait_ -"

Karma paused, scanning Katsuna up and down with his eyes before continuing.

_"Never mind."_

"What's that supposed to mean huh?" Katsuna demanded, blowing out her cheeks in irritation. 

Karma snickered in reply, only infuriating her more. 

"Well I'd love to stay and chat, but the movie isn't going to wait for us," Koro-sensei announced, grabbing each student and tucking them inside his teacher's uniform. 

"W-wha but I didn't agree.." Katsuna stammered, her eyes wide with fear.

"I'm kinda having second thoughts right now.." Nagisa faltered. 

"If we survive, at least we'll think of safety first next time," Karma joked, patting Katsuna's head condescendingly. 

"You're so dead when we land," she threatened, making the boy chuckle. 

"aaaND WE'RE OFF!!"Koro-sensei announced, launching himself into the air at rapid speed, followed by the screams of children. 

"W-WHOA!" Katsuna gasped, looking below as they soared over the view, "I'VE NEVER SEEN THE OCEAN BEFORE!"

Karma eyed the girl in surprise, smiling slightly as he took in her ecstatic expression. 

The refreshing evening air breezed through their hair as they flew towards the sunset. 

"I'm kinda shocked that there isn't more wind lash," Nagisa noted, his voice barely heard as they cut through the atmosphere. 

"It's because Koro-sensei's head hardens when exposed to strong winds," a soft voice spoke, altering the children. 

"Ritsu??" Nagisa yelped, looking down at the phone screen in his pocket which was now displaying their beaming pink haired classmate. 

"Hi guys!" she waved, her cheeks a warm pink colour, "I downloaded myself on everyone's phones so now I can chat with you on the go!"

"That's actually kinda cool," Karma complimented, looking down at the virtual girl. 

"Thanks," she hummed in reply before lowering her tone, "This could be your best chance to assassinate him by the way." 

"Except I don't have any funeral plans right now," the redhead admitted, "We're over water, flying at the speed of sound, I don't think that's going to work out." 

"Awe is Karma scared~" Katsuna teased, " _Poor wittle Akabane~_ " 

"I'll give it a shot then, except you'll die too," Karma side eyed the girl, making her gulp in fear, "Yeah, I didn't think so."

~~~~~

Finally the group landed on the soft shoreline of Hawaii, just in time to catch the movie. 

Koro-sensei lifted the children out of his uniform and settled them on the ground carefully. 

"I can't believe we're actually here.." Katsuna marvelled, looking out towards the ocean as if she was in a fairy tale. 

She yelped as a sudden pain nipped at her arm, making her retract in surprise.

"I was just making sure I wasn't dreaming," Karma smirked, watching as Katsuna pulled an appalling facial expression in response. 

"You're supposed to pinch yourself asshole, not someone else," she scowled, rubbing her sore arm. 

"Oh, _my bad,"_ the redhead shrugged casually, snickering slightly as he dodged a vital kick to his stomach. 

"Come on kiddos, let's head in," Koro-sensei called, now dressed in his human disguise. 

The group wandered into the bustling cinema to collect their tickets and a few snacks to munch on whilst watching the movie. 

"Jeez it's freezing in here," Katsuna complained, rubbing her bare arms with her hands as they sat down in their designated seats. 

She noted Nagisa's awkward mood towards her, deciding to reluctantly sit on the end beside Karma. 

"It's kind of an island thing," Koro-sensei explained before handing out a couple of blankets to the students, "I only brought two so you're going to have to share." 

Karma grimaced at the pink heart patterned blanket. In the end, he handed the it to Katsuna, allowing her to bundle up in it's warmth. 

"Don't be such a baby," she teased, spreading the blanket across Karma's lap, "Suck it up Akabane, I don't want you sneezing over me when you catch pneumonia."

The redhead huffed childishly, warily accepting it. 

"It's kinda like we're under the same sheets...." Karma thought, immediately seizing up as the heat rushed to his cheeks.

Luckily the lights in the cinema had dimmed just in time, successfully concealing his flustered state. 

"Here we go boys and girls," Koro-sensei whispered excitedly, passing out the popcorn along the row, "Sonic Ninja's finally starting!"

~~~~~

_**"Kill me if you wish, but first, behold, my true identity!"** _

_**"B-Brother? N-no...!"** _

Karma sipped on his coke, entranced with the story plot of the movie. 

Just then, he felt a small weight on his right shoulder, his eyes moving to see the cause. The redhead held his breath, catching sight of the raven hair had flowed down his arm. He was careful to not wake the sleeping girl beside him as he tucked the slipping blanket into her.

Karma grinned like a Cheshire cat, a warm fluttery feeling overcoming his heart. 

Somehow, the emotion was enough to distract him till the end of the movie. 

~~~~~

"Cliffhangers are the worst!" Nagisa complained, stretching his arm above his head, "I'm going to go crazy waiting for the next one though!"

The group had made their way back to late night air of Japan after the movie finished, everyone still a little shaken up from travelling at mach 20. 

"I'm kinda over it," Karma replied, shoving his hands in his pockets, "It was super cliche to make the bad guy her brother."

"Ahh I guess.." Nagisa mumbled, scratching the back of his head uncomfortably. 

"Hey, want me to tell you the ending of the film?" Ritsu bubbled from his phone, "I can predict it using algorithms from action movie endings?"

"Ermm I'm good.." Nagisa exhaled in defeat. 

"Now now, I thought it was really good," Koro-sensei chirped before bursting into tears, "Long lost siblings... I can't imagine how hard it must have been for them." 

"Right.." Karma sighed, turning to Katsuna who was looking down at her phone with a distressed look. 

She noticed his curious staring and quickly put it away, chuckling nervously. 

"It was actually alright, I just wish I wasn't so tired," she smiled lightly, "Thanks for tonight, it was incredible."

"No worries Katsuna," Koro-sensei answered, wiping the rest of his tears, "I was a bit cautious of taking you though, you seem to be a little exhausted lately, are you sleeping okay?"

"Ahh it's all good," she replied, forcing her tone to go a little higher, "It's just me staying up late playing games haha.."

"I see," he responded unconvinced, "Well goodnight children, get home safe!"

"See you tomorrow Koro-sensei!"

"Til tomorrow!"

"G'nite teach."

"See ya."

The three students turned to walk down the mountain path towards their homes, an awkward silence settling in the atmosphere.

"So.. er... Nagisa.." Katsuna started, looking off to the side. 

She sighed deeply, clearly her thoughts before speaking again. 

"I just wanted to apologise for being so weird with you lately," she began, twirling a small piece of hair around her finger, "I hope you're not too mad at me."

Nagisa peered over to the girl, a small smile shaping itself on his lips. 

"Ahh it's okay, I'm sorry as well, I thought it was because you didn't like me but I'm sure that's not it now," he chuckled nervously, "Can we go back to normal?"

Katsuna laughed slightly, a weight feeling like it had been lifted from her shoulders. 

"Of course, ahh I'm so relieved," she responded, shooting the blue haired boy a smile. 

"Well thank god for that, it was pitiful watching the pair of you," Karma chided, placing his arms behind his head as he walked. 

"Oh shut up, you're just jealous that me and Nagisa are friends now," Katsuna smirked, watching the redhead grit his teeth. 

"I couldn't care less about that," he scoffed, kicking his a stone that laid on the path below, "I'm just saying."

Nagisa and Katsuna laughed at Karma's childishness as they continued with their trip home. 

_Today was a good day._


	29. The Paedophile and his Asshole Child

"Jeez, what's up with all this rain?" Katsuna complained, cowering under the shelter of her umbrella, "I know it was supposed to be wet today but this is on a completely different scale!"

"I see what you mean," Nagisa grinned weakly, holding his own umbrella above his head, "At least the campus is in sight now though."

The pair had arranged to walk together this morning, their relationship having been mended over the past couple days since the trip to Hawaii. 

It was as if they were old friends reacquainting once again. 

The path through the field was muddy water in motion, filling deep puddles in the earth. 

Katsuna peered down at her shoes as they sloshed through the dirt, covering the once matt black leather in a dark brown sludge. 

"At least I know my evening plans," she muttered, just before a splash of mud scattered on her skirt.

_Great._

_~~~~~_

The two students finally made it to their classroom, shaking off the raindrops from their soaking wet umbrellas before tucking them away in their bags. 

"Sir, why do you look like an inflated beach ball?" Katsuna stated in a tone only a parent would use when addressing their disappointment of a child. 

Somehow, Koro-sensei's head had swollen nearly half it's original size, the proportions now challenging Pennywise. 

"Well you see, my skin acts as a sponge as it soaks up the moisture from the humidity due to the rain," the octopus explained proudly, his voice sounding like it 80 year old man. 

"So, in other words, you're basically Sponge Bob on land?" she simplified, perching at her desk. 

"I guess.. but that doesn't sound as cool.." Koro-sensei sniffled, the comment stabbing at his pride. 

As the rest of the class took their seats, the over-sized octopus wrung out his enlarged head, returning to his normal physic. 

"Now students, I had been informed this morning that we will be welcoming another transfer student into Class 3-E," Koro-sensei announced, stimulating a buzz in the classroom. 

However, instead of excitement, the students were hesitant at the situation as memories of Ritsu's first greeting flooded into their minds.

"It's got to be another assassin," Okajima concluded, exhaling at the thought. 

"I agree on that assumption," Koro-sensei nodded cautiously, "I made the mistake on underestimating Ritsu on our first meeting so I'll be on guard this time."

"Who knows what the governments got planned," Katsuna asserted, her attitude becoming a little more vigilant under the circumstances.

"If a high tech killing machine that calculated each assassination attempt to it's exact success percentage wasn't enough, boy are we in for a surprise."

"You must know something about it right Ritsu?" Sumire suggested, turning around in her seat to face her virtual classmate, "With you guys being transfers and everything."

"Well, actually don't know as much as you'd think," Ritsu answered truthfully, "Except from the fact that me and him were supposed to be transferred together you see." 

_Huh?_

"I was supposed to focus on long range attacks whilst my counterpart used close range combat," she described using a diagram on her screen, "However, his transfer was delayed due to reasons that I was held from knowing."

"I came to the conclusion that my superiors must have thought that he needed a few more tweaks before entering the battleground." 

"Though, before I was transferred here, I was told that I lacked the skills to support someone of his strength," Ritsu stated, a serious look plastered on her face.

"Let's just say that I don't handle a candle to what he's able to pull off."

The class fell into a thick silence with no-one able to comprehend Ritsu's remarks. 

"For her to say that, having put Koro-sensei in a tight spot and probably would have ended up killing the guy if we had not stepped in..." Katsuna pondered, gulping down her nerves.

_I was right in saying we're in for a shock._

Amidst the stifling silence, the creaky noise of the classroom door sliding open coursed through the class, jolting each student's attention towards a figure dressed in all white. 

He stood ominously in the doorway, his blank staring becoming rather unsettling. 

_Creepy._

After a moment, he reached his covered arm forward, swiftly twisting it around to reveal a snow white dove.

_Eh?_

"Haha, sorry if I startled you children," the figure spoke lightheartedly, shattering his previous chilling facade, "Call me Shiro, please." 

"So the new transfer student is a clearly overage man dressed in full white who can do magic," Fuwa whispered to Isogai, "Might as well be a paedophile." 

Isogai nodded in agreement, his facial expression seeming apprehensive of the man. 

Shiro glanced down at the two students, each other them shuddering under his gaze. 

"I seem to have made you misunderstand me," he stated plainly before letting out a seemingly forced chuckle, "You see, I am not the student that will be joining your class; instead his guardian of sorts." 

"So not only is the new guy super strong and stuff, but he's had to deal with being looked after by some child-molesting-looking ass," Terasaka remarked loudly from across the classroom, "Talk about a recipe for disaster". 

"Come now Terasaka, let's not judge people by their looks," Koro-sensei wailed from the corner of the room, clearly unnerved by Shiro's entrance.

"Like you can talk!" the meathead accused. 

"Well what can I say, Ritsu's story made my thoughts go a bit haywire," the octopus admitted before returning to his normal composure. 

"Welcome Shiro, it's a shame your counterpart isn't here as well," Koro-sensei addressed the man in white, his voice hinted with curiosity. 

"Why hello Koro-sensei, don't worry too much about that, let me introduce him."

Shiro turned towards the doorway in which he had just entered, the students and the octopus following his line of eyesight, eager with anticipated to finally see their new edition to the group. 

A moment passed by without a sound, the tension high in the classroom. 

"Where the hell is he-" Terasaka grumbled before being interrupted by an explosion from the wall behind him. 

The students yelped in surprise, each of them whipping their heads around to see a boy with light blue-tinted white hair appeared through the hole created in the wall. The class observed in utter shock as he casually strolled forwards and sat in the seat between Karma and Terasaka. 

"I have proven myself stronger than the classroom wall," he spoke confidently, the blood vessels bulging in his eyes. 

"USE THE DOOR NEXT TIME!" the class chorused in a mixture of fright and anger. 

"This is Itona Horibe," Shiro proclaimed to the students, "Your new classmate." 

_" **Strength** is the only thing that matters, everything else is **shit.** "_

_Thrilling.._

"Hey newbie," Katsuna called from her seat, "How is it that you're not drenched?" 

"The weather might as well of thrown a bucket of water over you, yet you're bone dry." 

Itona scanned the room steadily, ignoring her comment completely. 

"Well you're going to be a bowl of sunshine aren't ya," Karma stated sarcastically, leaning back in his chair, "I'm pretty curious about that too might I add."

Finally, the boy stood from his seat, grabbing the attention of the inquiring students. He made his way in between the Karma and Katsuna, reaching out each of his hands before condescendingly patting both of their heads. 

"You both seem to be the strongest in the class, thought no need to worry, I won't harm you," Itona smirked provokingly.

"You're _beneath_ my skill, it would be like standing on _helpless ants."_

"Koro-sensei on the other hand," he continued, wandering slowly up to the front, "Is the only one that is worthy of my strength."

"Ahh I understand your game now," Koro-sensei acknowledged, peering down at the student before him.

"Just so you know, I'm stronger than you by a whole other magnitude," he boasted, placing a tentacle on his hip.

"Ha.. yeah sure," Itona smiled smugly, squaring up to the octopus, "I wouldn't be so settled on that idea once I tell you that we're actually brothers." 

"B-B-B-BROTHERS?!" the class blurted, including an equally baffled Koro-sensei. 

"Let's settle this," Itona dared, shoving his hands in his pockets, "We face off after school in this classroom." 

"A-ah young man..." Koro-sensei spluttered, completely perplexed by his revelation, "I think you're clearly misguided in this theory of us being siblings.." 

"Well you'll see for yourself soon enough," Itona replied nonchalantly, a snide smile gracing his lips, "See you then." 

The boy strolled out the classroom, followed by his guardian, leaving the room in complete silence as both teacher and students were processing the information that had been revealed in the last few minutes. 

A few moments after Itona's departure, the classroom erupted in accusations and shouts all addressed to Koro-sensei from desperate children looking for answers. 

"YOU HAVE A BROTHER?"

"I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU GUYS COME FROM THE SAME MUM!"

"WHY IS HE HUMAN AND YOU'RE LIKE THAT?" 

"DO YOU HAVE A HIDDEN HOT SISTER AS WELL??!"

Koro-sensei tried his best to calm the storm of yells thrown at him from every direction, stating that he was an only child, his parents hadn't wanted another kid but each time he attempted to address the questions, the students only had more for the answers provided. 

"This has turned into a right shit show," Karma commented, clearly irritated by the boy's earlier actions.

"I know what you mean," Katsuna responded, gritting her teeth in annoyance, "I can't wait to go at him in Karasuma's class, I swear I'll pulverise the brat."

"Not before me," Karma interjected, "I'm going to cut off each of his fingers one by one."

"That's a little far..." she side glanced the redhead cautiously, observing his sadistic facial expression. 

_Never mind, he's gone full psycho..._

"I doubt that they're brothers to be honest.." Katsuna muttered to herself, watching Koro-sensei freak out in the hot seat, "He seems just as puzzled as the rest of us."

_But then... what's the connection?_

She eyed the octopus in the teacher's get up, contemplating for a few moments.

_It must have had something to do with why he was created in the first place...._

_But then..._

_If Koro-sensei is connected to Itona and Itona is connected to Shiro..._

_**Then who is Shiro really?** _


	30. Sensei vs Student

"Christ, this place looks like a boxing ring," Professor Bitch dictated, scanning the classroom. 

The students had moved their desks to the sides of the room, acting as a sort of circular barrier. Koro-sensei and Itona were stood facing each other within the ring, each opponent staring the other down. 

"This should be interesting," Karasuma responded, hanging back in the corner, "I've never seen an assassin take this approach, he must be willing to defeat the target using only pure strength."

"Let's set out some rules," Shiro declared, standing behind is protege. 

"We'll confine the fight to one room, step outside the boundaries and your life is automatically forfeited."

"As if the losing side will stick to that.." Sugino muttered quietly. 

He was stood cautiously beside Karma and Katsuna, both students not taking their eyes off the opponents in the middle of the room.

"Trust me, Koro-sensei will uphold the rules out of a sense of pride," Karma uttered in response, "He's all about keeping up his reputation as a teacher."

"It's Itona you should watchful for, he may abide by the rules now due to being so confident," Katsuna motioned towards the new classmate, "But later, I'm not so sure."

"May I add one other rule," Koro-sensei asked, his eyes trained on Shiro, "Hurt one of the surrounding spectators and your life is forfeited."

"Seems reasonable," Shiro shrugged, raising his hand, "Begin on my signal."

"Assassination....... **BEGIN!** "

Milliseconds after the announcement, a high speed attack sliced through the air, severing one of Koro-sensei's tentacle before one could even breathe. 

The spectators gasped in shock at the sight before them, staring not at the cut off tentacle but instead Itona himself. 

_"Impossible.."_ Koro-sensei whispered in utter astonishment. 

It was as if his spiky hair was alive with snakelike movements. 

"He has.... **tentacles.** " 

Katsuna and Karma side glanced each other, both silently sharing the same revelation. 

_So that's how he stayed dry, he simply batted the raindrops off._

" **How.. HOW?"**

Koro-sensei growled menacingly, his pitch-black face bulging with blood vessels, displaying complete rage.

**"TELL ME WHERE YOU GOT THOSE TENTACLES!"**

The students had only been showed this expression once before when Terasaka's group placed Nagisa's life in danger, however this time, things seemed different. 

This was Koro-sensei's true hidden wrath. 

"Are aren't obligated to share that detail with you unfortunately," Shiro grinned, sickly pleased with Koro-sensei's aggravation towards the matter. 

" **I see...** _clearly we need to have a long **chat** ,"_ the teacher seethed, baring his teeth sinisterly at the man in white. 

_"Too bad you'll be **dead** before you get the chance," _Shiro dared, lowering his eyes in response.

He shone a blinding purple light hidden under his white sleeve, the light somehow effecting Koro-sensei severely as the octopus stumbled back in an attempt to shield himself. 

"This pressure ray is of great effect in close rang combat," Shiro sneered, followed with Itona viciously attacking the vulnerable teacher, "It triggers the delayed response of your skin cells, therefore becoming stiff and open for attack."

Koro-sensei howled in pain as the rampage of Itona's tentacles clobbered him to the ground mercilessly. The students surrounding the pair were stock still, hardly believing what they were witnessing. 

_Koro-sensei might actually... **lose**._

Somehow, amongst all the dust and rubble, Koro-sensei had slipped through the cracks and leapt towards the ceiling for cover. Sweat was pouring down his forehead as he gasped for air. 

"That was too close.." he managed, barely hanging onto the lights hanging from the roof of the classroom. 

"Ahh the little shedding of the skin trick, we know about that as well," Shiro revealed, his calm composure unchanging, "Itona and I are on intimate terms with every strength and weakness."

Itona hastily shot his tentacles towards Koro-sensei, making the teacher having to react instantaneously. The octopus sped across the room, narrowly dodging each threatening strike that would risk his life if they hit. 

"You see, even with that advantage comes a flaw," Shiro disclosed, observing the fight in high spirits, "That costs you dearly in energy, making you slower in your movements."

"Oh, and I see you've regenerated that tentacle you lost earlier," he continued, "That's even more energy you've lost."

Itona ambushed the teacher with murderous intent barely leaving Koro-sensei to have any room to move let alone scheme any plans of his own. All he could do was try his best at continuing to dodge the student's onslaught to the best of his ability. 

"If I do say so myself, I have reason to believe that right now, you are a fairly even match for one another."

"However, it's obvious who has the upper hand in this situation as Itona has the help of his devoted guardian."

Amongst the assault, Shiro once again shined the purple beam, hardening Koro-sensei's movements just in time for Itona to deliver a ferocious blow to 6 of his target's tentacles making the octopus drop to the ground in exhaustion. 

"You'll have to regenerate all of those tentacles again which is even more energy loss," Shiro snicked from the sidelines, "What will you do now Koro-sensei?"

"That was easier than I previously thought," Itona condemned, staring down on his opponent in pity, "It's pathetic seeing you like this." 

Koro-sensei was kneeling on the floor whilst choking on his own breath, his distressed position stunning his surrounding students.

"Still looking forward to _pulverising_ the guy?" Karma muttered to the startled girl beside him.

"If I remember correctly, you were _detailing_ each step of _slicing_ his fingers off," Katsuna whispered back, "I'd like to see you even _try."_

"You know, he might actually kill the octopus," the redhead mumbled cautiously, "Then all this would be over."

_It would be over huh.._

Memories of the principal and her times in Class 3-E flashed in her mind, sending her deep thought. 

_If this ended now, what would happen?_

_There'd be no use for me..._

_The deal would be off..._

_I-I can't let that happen._

Katsuna instinctively clutched onto the anti-sensei knife tightly tucked in her pocket, the flimsy rubber marking a line on her palm.

"At least with the money, I can escape, start a new..." she conceptualised silently, scanning her classmates, "And they've tried so hard to improve themselves over the past couple months.."

**_"If anyone should kill him.... it should be us."_ **

"I see you've grown back those tentacles, feeling _tired_ my dear Koro-sensei?" Shiro patronised, tapping a finger his folded arms. 

" No-one's ever run me with ragged before, there seems to be a bit more strategy than what meets the eye," Koro-sensei concluded, recovering slightly from the previous blows. 

"So you still think you can be victorious?" Shiro laughed scornfully, "Clearly you're more deranged than I originally thought." 

"No matter, this fight will be over in a matter of seconds, Itona finish him."

With those words spoken, Itona leaped into the air, his savage tentacles hurtling down towards his target. 

Upon impact, an explosion occurred, splattering parts of tentacles across the classroom. The students held their breath, their shaken eyes never leaving the scene. 

To their surprise, the scattered tentacles belonged to none other than Itona himself. Koro-sensei had used his remaining speed to jump out of the way of Itona's strike, instead laying anti-sensei knives in his place, causing the boy's tentacles to explode. 

Koro-sensei chuckled brightly, proud of his own cunning intuition. 

It took for the students to look at the anti-sensei knives to realise that their teacher had grabbed the ones they kept hidden in their school uniform. 

The octopus had outwitted his opponent once again. 

"Ha HA in yo _faceee~_ " Koro-sensei jeered, his infamous green stripes displaying his cocky attitude. 

For the first time, his overconfident expression brought relief to the faces of his students. 

In a split second, Koro-sensei covered Itona in his shredded skin and threw him through the window of the classroom, out into the rain. 

"Don't worry, my skin kept him safe," the octopus reassured, grinning like a child, "However, technically Itona, you are out of the boundaries, therefore you lose!"

"If you'd like, you can come in and join the rest of class in their assassination attempts," he suggested, "Keep in mind that you''ll never be able to defeat me without team by your side."

The remark sparked something in Itona, something deadly and just short of insane. If the humiliation of being defeated wasn't enough for the boy, being lectured about it afterwards definitely would send him into a murderous rampage. 

"Are you saying that I'm **WEAK**!?" Itona bellowed, eyes clouded with his blood lust. 

"ARE YOU SAYING I'M **NEVER** GOING TO BE STRONG ENOUGH TO KILL YOU?!"

_Oh no.._

He charged towards the teacher like a wild animal, eyes trained on his one and only target. Even if Koro-sensei was killed, at this point, nothing would be satisfactory until he was ground into fine dust. 

Before Itona could make impact however, a sound of a gun jolted the students attention, watching as the boy collapsed to the ground, readying him now unconscious.

"My apologies," Shiro maintained, wandering over to the fallen student, "It seems that a mandatory vacation is in order, even if it was Itona's first day."

He proceeded to lift the body off the floor, slumping him over his shoulder. 

"Excuse me, he's my student, I cannot let you leave with him," Koro-sensei declared, "And frankly, I need to have a talk with the both of you." 

"I'm sorry, but I do believe we'll be going now, unless you want to use force," Shiro dared, a menacing tone underlying his words. 

Koro-sensei reached towards the man in white, placing a yellow tentacle on his shoulder. In surprise, the tentacle melted upon touch. 

"Anti-sensei fibres," Shiro revealed, turning his back on the irritated teacher, "I don't intend on being restrained by you." 

_"Good day."_

With those words said, the man disappeared from sight, Itona with him, leaving Koro-sensei unable to do anything past his will for the first time. 

~~~~

"What a day.." Katsuna exhaled, carrying a chair across the classroom. 

The class had been tasked to put the room back in order after the face down with Koro-sensei against Itona.

"I still can't believe the guy had tentacles," Maehara exclaimed, "It's like something out of a manga!"

"You've got that right," Isogai responded, "That Shiro guy was quite the character as well."

"Did anyone else feel kinda.. I don't know it's hard to explain.." Nagisa interjected, struggling to find his words, "Like resentment towards Itona?"

"I get what you mean actually," Kaede nodded, tapping a finger on her chin, "Seeing Koro-sensei on the ropes like that, it made me question why we're here in the first place."

"I guess, what I'm trying to say is, I don't want someone else to take this from us," she continued, a determined expression channelling to her blue haired friend, "We're his students, so we should be the ones to kill him."

The rest of the class hummed in agreement, the same look of resolve gracing their features as they listened in. 

~~~~~~

"Hey Karasuma-sensei," Isogai called, catching the attention of the spiky haired teacher, "Can you teach us some more assassination tips?" 

The students was gathered outside, following their class reps lead.

"It's just, and I think I speak for all of us when I say that, we want to hone our skills."

"You see," Yada added, her face completely serious, "We've been slacking because we figured someone else would do the job for us."

"We want to kill Koro-sensei with our own method, as a class," Hinano declared. 

"We may not have enough time left, but we'll work hard to achieve our goal," Kataoka stated, placing a hand on her heart. 

"So please sir, teach us as much as you can," Nagisa finished, squeezing his fists tightly. 

_Huh.. they're really determined to do this._

"Alright then," Karasuma announced, impressed with the class's resolve, "Anyone interested in building up their skills for assassination can stay after class, prepare to work hard!"

"Yes Sir!" the class chorused gratefully. 

Katsuna hung back, observing the scene from afar with a wide eyes. 

Her classmates courage sparked something in her. 

_If they are willing to work this hard... **then why shouldn't I?**_

_Koro-sensei..._

_P_ _rincipal Asano..._

_**Father...** _

_**I'll overcome you all.** _


	31. Battle of Baseball

"I just need an opening..." Katsuna narrowed her eyes, shifting her focus to the opposing team who were closing in on her fast, each of them built like skyscrapers. 

She vigilantly dribbled the ball, attempting to confuse the team long enough to figure out a plan. 

_Shit_

_I'm surrounded._

_And I can't see any of my other teammates._

"There's no way I can shoot from here, but... it's my only choice."

The raven haired girl sprung into the air, throwing the basketball over her head in the direction of the hoop. However, there just wasn't enough force placed on the ball and the opposing team slammed it out the way with ease. 

With the whistle blown, the score was 2-8, resulting in a tragic loss for E-Class. 

The girls huddled together, the same disappointed smile mirrored on each of their lips. 

"Well, we did our best guys!" Kataoka chuckled softly, lifting the mood a bit, "At least we got some points in."

"Those girls were playing dirty and we all know it," Yada huffed, grabbing her water bottle, "The referee was totally picking sides too."

"It's not like we stood a chance anyway," Kaede exhaled, side eyeing the gorilla-like basketball team, "I hope the boys will do better in their exhibition game."

"Ahh yes, I nearly forgot about that," Kataoka burst, shoving the girls along towards the changing rooms, "Come on, Koro-sensei's coaching them, I wanna see this with my own eyes!"

"Aren't they going against the baseball team?" Katsuna wondered, following the rest of the girls, "Man I could really do with watching Karma get hit in the face with the ball."

"Great, let's use that as your motivation to hurry along!" Kataoka chirped, "Let's go!"

~~~~

_"Welcome to the Exhibition Game, E Class vs the Kunugigaoka Baseball team!"_

The voice on the loud speaker boomed through the courtyard followed by an eruption of crowd cheering. 

"It's starting!" Kataoka chortled, scanning the area. 

The boys from their class and the baseball club were stood in a line, facing each other. The difference in physical stature had already demonstrated a sense of dominance over the playing field. 

It was as if Class E had trespassed into a domain anyone could see they didn't belong in. 

"I don't see Koro-sensei," Rio noted, the court free from any over-sized yellow octopus. 

"I heard that he was going to disguise himself as a baseball due to him being a state secret and all," Fuwa answered. 

"He's the one in the corner, the idiot's wearing a miniature baseball hat." 

"How'd he supposed to coach in that form?" Yada questioned, "What's he gonna do, like bounce up and down or something?"

As if Koro-sensei could hear the student's query, he began subtly changing the colour of his face from green, to blue, to orange. 

"Someone has to notice a baseball changing colour in the middle of a playing field..." Katsuna deadpanned, the other girl's nodding disappointingly in agreement.

"Hey look, Masayoshi's up," Yada pointed to the boy raising his bat. 

_"Here we go folks, let's see how the first batter will fare!"_

_STRIKE!_

"Damn.. I didn't even see the ball move-" Fuwa gasped, her eyes wide in surprise. 

"That's Kazutaka Shindo, Captain of the baseball team," Kanzaki informed, her eyes trained on the dark haired pitcher, "I heard from Sugino that his fast ball's are something else."

"The speed is somewhere up with the pros." 

"We're so screwed.." Yada mumbled dishearteningly. 

"Not necessarily..." Katsuna muttered under her breath, observing the batting team carefully.

"It seem's they have something under their sleeve." 

_"Here's comes the second pitch, and HE HIT IT"_

"NO WAY!" Yada exclaimed in shock, her eyes following the movements of her classmate as he passed first base. 

"Nagisa's up next," Kataoka uttered, her voice as quiet as a whisper, "Maybe the first one was just a fluke..." 

_"Next batter..... ITS A HIT!"_

"Holy crap, him too?!"

The blue haired boy sped past first base, using his opponents confusion to his advantage as he stopped at second base. Masayoshi had managed to get to third, a fierce grin shaping his mouth. 

"I guess the practice with Koro-sensei really paid off," Katsuna praised, recalling yesterday's onslaught. 

The octopus had trained his students to become used to the momentum of Shindo's infamous fast ball, going as far as surpassing the junior schooler's speed with his own throws. 

Shindo's throws might as well seem like they're travelling in slow motion compared to Koro-sensei's. 

"The octopus has striked again huh," she chuckled quietly, spotting Isogai as he hit the ball with ease. 

_"That's 3 batters safe! Am I really seeing this!?"_

"It's Suigno!" Kanzaki cheered, pointing at Class E's own baseball star. 

He directed a serious gaze directly towards Shindo himself, leaving the Captain unsettled and unable to think clearly. He threw the ball at a speed even beginner could hit, allowing Suigno to completely smack it out the park with his bat. 

This left plenty of time for himself and the other batters to return home safety, scoring E Class a 3 on the board. 

The students cheered, ecstatic over their small victory. Something like this would mean a lot to a class who had been mercilessly discriminated against by the rest of the school. 

It demonstrated hope not only for the game, but for their futures too. 

Amongst the shouts of encouragement provided by her surrounding classmates, Katsuna unmistakably caught sight of an unexpected visitor approaching the coach of the Kunugigaoka baseball team. 

By instinct, she seized up, her piercing eyes not daring to look away from the scene as the coach collapsed to the ground, sweating profusely.

_**What is he...** _

_"I have an important announcement, it seems the coach has come down with a fever. The baseball team weren't focusing on the game due to being worried for him."_

_"However, someone else has volunteered to take the reigns for the team whilst the coach recovers, let's give it up our devoted Principal Asano!"_

**_Fuck_ **

"The principal?" Fuwa mumbled, completely dumbfounded, "Why would he get in-?"

"Because the man will do anything for the sake of upholding his ideals," Katsuna interjected, startling the girl with her ice-cold tone. 

Just then, the principal's snake-like gaze flicked to the girl, shooting a shudder right to her nerve system. 

His stare was more than enough to remind Katsuna of her place-

_**No** _

_Don't let him._

Katsuna gulped down her fear, recovering a somewhat calm facade. She held the eye contact, noting the principal's slightly taken back expression. He may have only shown it for a half a second, but it was enough for the both of them to acknowledge a change in their relationship. 

The principal returned his focus on the baseball team, letting a small chuckle slip past his lips. 

_A new battle has begun._

"Hey guys, check this out!" Kataoka stated, pointing to the field. 

Katsuna redirected her attention to where her classmate was motioning to, grimacing at the sight.

The baseball team had completely changed their formation, the players now converging closer together, surrounding the pitcher with a 2 metre gap.

"Are they even allowed to do that?" Fuwa cautioned, "Surely that's cheating."

"Actually.. the opposing team can defend however they like," Kanzaki responded wearily, "I don't think the umpire will say anything either."

"The unfair bastard," Yada scowled, crossing her arms tightly. 

"It's Maehara's turn, I don't think this is going to go well.." Kataoka doubted, anticipating the next movements of the pitcher. 

_"And hes out! Seems the boy is intimated by the switch up in positions."_

_"Strike 3, Okajima Out!"_

_"Strike 3, Chiba Out!"_

_"It's time out folks, our teams are switching sides."_

"Dammit, if we carry on like this.." Kataoka muttered, gritting her teeth. 

Katsuna placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder. 

"Don't worry," she spoke, pointing to the pitcher, "Sugino's been practising his fast ball ever since his failed assassination attempt against Koro-sensei." 

_"Strike 3, Batter 1 out!"_

Kataoka regarded Class E's baseball star, a slither of hope suddenly revealing itself. 

"We'll be okay... for now."

The girls watched as most of the opposing team faltered at the strength of Sugino's attack before the sides were once again switched. 

"Who's up now?" Yada wondered out loud, examining the playing field. 

"Karma," Katsuna responded quickly, her focus trained on the redhead.

_That look... he's up to something._

Just as she thought, instead of heading to the batting station, Karma alternatively turned his direction of focus towards Principal Asano. 

"I didn't think you'd play dirty _Sir,"_ he announced, his voice carrying through the playing field.

 _"What is he doing?"_ Katsuna deadpanned over the boy's remark.

"The baseball team's defence is complete bullshit and we both know it," the redhead continued, before shifting his focus to the spectators, "I would have thought _as least_ one of you would have spotted this by now." 

Karma held his breath, surveying the crowds of people, his eyes trailing over Katsuna's. His gaze paused as he caught sight of the raven haired girl, a wide smirk playing on his lips.

_"Oh wait, you're all morons, of cause you wouldn't know."_

His presumptuous insult was followed with an explosion of furious yelling, all the spectators now staring daggers at the brazen-faced boy. 

If looks could kill, Karma would have been obliterated on the spot. 

He kept his mercury coloured eyes aimed on Katsuna, the pair subtly chuckling to one another amongst the series of shouts. 

She took this moment to mouth a few words to Karma, "Don't lose."

Karma responded with a mischievous wink before making his swaggering his way towards the batting stand. 

_"Fucking Akabane.."_ Katsuna mumbled under her breath, smiling silently to herself.

_Let's win this._

The redhead covered his hair with his baseball helmet, readying himself for the pitcher's throw. Unlike the others, Karma was unrattled by the formation of the defence team, his mind was set only on the direction of the ball. 

_"It's a HIT!"_

~~~~~

The ball game continued with E class slowly losing their early lead as the baseball team grew more confident with their skills. Matched against an unbeatable defence and players who had quickly adapted to Sugino's fast ball, the boys were struggling indefinitely. 

_"Next up to bat is Kunugigaoka's baseball pride and joy, Captain Kazutaka Shindo!"_

The boy's footsteps trembled like thunder against the ground as he charged towards the batting stand. 

Katsuna knew that aura from anywhere, her attention immediately drawn to the principal calmly sitting in the box shelter, his beady stare fixated on the Captain. 

_Shit... he's been hypnotised._

_This is not good._

"Sugino, you're **dead** you here me, DEAD!"Shindo roared like a untamed beast set loose.

The principal had used the boy's strong sense of determination for victory to his advantage, honing in on his hatred for losing and releasing a savage barbarian into the battle grounds. 

The E class boys huddled together, attempting to figure out a plan in the short space of time they had before facing the Captain. 

Katsuna bit her lip, anticipating her teams counter defence, knowing they were screwed if they didn't come up with something fast. 

_Hang on.. what?!_

Karma and Isogai had placed themselves right in front of the batting station, leaving barely any space for Shindo to swing without hitting them square on. 

"Ohh I see now, so that's why Karma riled up the spectators earlier," Katsuna laughed, confusing the rest of her classmates. 

"Because he made it obvious that the baseball team were resorting to cheap tricks and the umpire didn't call them on it," she explained, gesturing to the playing field.

"It means that if our boys use the same tricks, the umpire can't do anything about it without damaging the opposing sides play either." 

_Clever bastard_

_"This is insane, they're standing at point blank range!"_

Katsuna noted the rattled expression on Shindo's face with a smirk. 

The boy was clearly internally panicking. 

A stunt like cracking a skull that would stick with his reputation forever. 

It may just be a bluff.. but the boy's are standing so close... it's too hard to tell. 

Amidst his inner debate, Sugino took the opportunity to throw his fast ball straight towards Shindo, limiting the boy's time to process his decision. 

His anxiety triggered him to instinctively swing his bat impatiently, the two E class student's dodging it's movements by the skin of their teeth. The ball on the other hand, sped past Shindo and straight into Nagisa's glove. 

"STRIKE!"

"Oh come on, you can do better than that," Karma grinned maliciously, "On the next one, swing like you're trying to kill us!"

The blood-curdling remark sent the Captain into a ice cold sweat, distracting his focus from Sugino's second fast ball. 

_The course of the game would come down to this final bat._

_It's all or nothing._

_The pressure..._

_It's...._

_"STRIKE! BATTER OUT!"_

_.._

_...._

_......_

_YES!!!!_

_WE WON!!!_

E Class threw themselves into the air, high on the thrill of victory. The girls ran onto the pitch, celebrating with their classmates as they high-fived the boys and began chatting excitedly about the suspenseful game. 

"As if we'd lose with me on the team," Karma sniggered, receiving a dramatic eye roll from Katsuna. 

She caught sight of the principal walking away from the pitch, seemingly uninterested by the results of the game. 

"I gotta go," Katsuna address the redhead, her eyes never leaving the movements of the man for even a second.

_I need to end this and **now.**_


	32. Enter: Akira Takaoka

_She caught sight of the principal walking away from the pitch, seemingly uninterested by the results of the game._

_"I gotta go," Katsuna address the redhead, her eyes never leaving the movements of the man for even a second._

_I need to end this and **now.**_

~~~~~

"Sir, we need to talk." 

The principal halted his movements, his back turned away from the student. 

"My, what's with that blatant tone, is that how your parents taught you to treat your elders?"

Katsuna bit down hard on her tongue in response to the man's warped sense of humour, narrowing her eyes slightly. 

"Oh come now, it was only a simple joke."

He turned to face the aggravated girl, his composure calm with a calculated gaze. 

"You kept me waiting the other day, I must say I thought you were smarter than that," he continued, folding his arms. 

"I-" Katsuna began, the principal's words throwing her off her original subject.

"I'm not interested in hearing excuses for I am a man of action," the principal interrupted coldly, "For example, today's failure."

"Sir-" 

"May I remind you of your place once again Sakame Katsuna?" he demanded, raising the volume his voice. 

"You of all people should understand what I'm capable of and yet you continue to not take your job seriously."

"I-I don't want to-" Katsuna stammered, unable to draw out the words caught in her throat. 

"Careful now," the man levelled his voice, "Use your head." 

"You think they'll accept you?" 

The remark caught Katsuna's immediate attention, her resided fears now brimming into her mind space. 

~~~~~

_**In the distance, she could barely make out Koro-sensei talking to the class.** _

**_"......I take full responsibility......"_ **

_**No, it's me you should blame.** _

~~~~~

"You ruined their efforts in midterms leaving them crushed."

~~~~~

_**"......I underestimated the principal..."** _

_**It was me, I did it.** _

**_"....Forgive me..."_ **

**_Please...stop._ **

~~~~~ ** _  
_**

"They'll never accept you after you betrayed them."

~~~~~

_**Stop!** _

_**STOP!!** _

~~~~~

"You don't think I know that.." Katsuna seethed, her stomach tightening as her guts churned from the returning guilt.

_I can hardly sleep._

" **Mind your tone** ," the principal warned, " I could ruin your life in an instant, everything you've run from with eat you alive with one message." 

"Fortunately for you, I believe in what will benefit me in the long run," he revealed, "And your role is circumstantial enough for me to not take action.... just yet." 

Katsuna peered up with regarded curiosity, unnerved by his words. 

"Time is a precious thing, don't you agree?" the principal questioned, gesturing his hands as he talked. 

"I don't understand what you.." Katsuna began, unsure on how to answer the man's odd remark. 

"You must have figured out that, regardless of my interference, your father will be released by law," he clarified, the revelation unsurprising to the girl. 

"It's all about time you see."

The principal turned away, extending an arm out sideways as he backhandedly waved. 

"I'll provide you with **2 weeks** to make your decision on whether you want to align yourself with me or make me your enemy." 

Katsuna stood speechless as she retraced the principal's declaration in her mind.

_2 weeks.. that's just before finals._

"Oh, before I forget," the principal interjected her trail of thought, "There will be consequences from today's actions."

_"Respect your new teacher, I hand picked him myself."_

With those words said, the principal strode away from Katsuna, her mind now juggling the outcome of the situation. 

~~~~~~

"Maehara, Isogai," Karasuma called out, catching their attention, You boys show more promise everyday, keep working hard!"

The pair fist-bumped each other, both proud of their efforts. They jumped up from their sitting position and wandered to the front of the group, next to Karasuma.

The student's were gathered outside on the field for their physical education lesson with Karasuma. Their spiky haired teacher wanted to showcase the talent within the class in hopes that others will know who to look to when wanting to improve their skills. Karasuma believes that he can only do so much and that students teaching each other would be vastly more effective at this stage. 

"Karma, behind that seemingly lazy facade, you have the natural born instinct of a fighter," Karasuma revealed, "You keep your eyes trained on the target at all times, allowing sheer strength and agility to carry you through til the end." 

"What can I say, I'm the best after all," Karma grinned, swaggering towards the front. 

"Hinata, your flexibility makes your moves hard to predict, good work."

"I'll thank gymnastics for that,"she giggled, sprouting from the ground. 

"Kataoka, you have extreme control over your momentum when fighting with a knife."

"I'll keep working hard for the team!" Kataoka smiled, high-fiving Hinata as she reached the front. 

"Last but not least, Katsuna," Karasuma made eye contact with the raven haired girl in the back, "The strength and level of control in your core allows your movements to travel smoothly not to mention that you have unmatched reflexes."

Katsuna nodded towards the teacher, thrusting herself up from the ground before making her way towards the group at the front. 

"These are your stand out assassins of Class 3-E," he declared, gesturing towards the group of students, "I recommend keeping a close eye on them if you want to improve your own movements."

The class applauded the star students, acknowledging their peer's progress throughout the last 4 months. After the clapping died down, the students took their seats back down on the field, listening in to their teacher. 

"Oi, where'd you speed off too the other day?" Karma whispered discreetly, his eyes burning with curiosity. 

"When are you going to stop asking," Katsuna muttered fiercely, keeping her lips sealed, "I already told you, I went to the vending machine." 

"That's bullshit and we both know it," the redhead retorted, "You're hiding something, aren't you?" 

_"Oh no, you caught me, what ever will I do~,"_ she uttered sarcastically, attempting to throw the boy off, "Just drop it Akabane, you're wasting your time."

"Then why have you been on high alert ever since the ball game?" Karma pressed, gauging a reaction from the girl, "Something's about to happen, isn't it?"

"I don't know what you're-" she began to defend before being interrupted by a male voice. 

"Heyo kiddos, the name's Akira Takaoka, pleasure to meet you!"

The student's followed the sound of the voice, whipping their heads round to see a heavily built man in a gym uniform. His cheerful grin seemed welcoming as he waved down at the group. 

"As I was saying," Karasuma reported, gaining the attention of the class once more, "We have a new addition to Class 3-E's staff."

"He'll be taking over your physical education classes from now on as I need to catch up on some other work."

"Whatcha say guys, ready to have some fun?" Takaoka cheered, his arms open wide. 

~~~~~~

"You knew he would be transferred here," Karma spoke, observing the scene from afar.

"No I-" Katsuna started defensively. 

"There's no use lying, it's written all over your face," the redhead cut in, "So just admit it."

The pair were sat on the grassy bank next to their campus, eyeing the teacher as he spoiled the class with the expensive sweet treats he had brought along for his first day. The rest of the students were crowded around the man, salivating at the gifts with matching goofy grins plastered on their faces. 

"Fine, yes, okay," Katsuna gave in to the redhead's persistent remarks, "I knew that their would be another teacher joining E Class."

"So, you've been anticipating his arrival.. though the fact that you're here and not enjoying the goods tells me that there's something more going on," Karma analysed, his sharp intuition irritating the girl. 

"God, do you ever shut up?" Katsuna groaned, holding her head in her hand.

 _"Awe, is poor wittle Klutzuna getting all uptight with moi coz she know's I'm wrightt~"_ he flouted, mimicking a baby's high pitched tone. 

"You and that voice can piss off back to daycare," Katsuna cursed, sending the redhead into a hysterical snicker. 

"Just who are you, huh?" Karma chuckled halfheartedly.

His mercury eyes drifted towards Katsuna face, widening gradually as he meticulously took in her lost sorrowful expression. 

_What the.._

The bell chimed, breaking Karma's trail of thought as he watched the expression slip from Katsuna's face.

"You don't know what you're getting into Akabane," she uttered coldly, rising to her feet, "It would be better for the both of us if you didn't get involved." 

Karma watched in contemplated silence as the girl swiftly steered herself in the direction of the rest of the students.

_Better for the both of us huh... **liar**. _

~~~~~

"Perfect, is everyone here?" Takaoka exulted, his wide grin never leaving his lips. 

"Everyone except Karma Sir," Nagisa concluded, responding to the teacher's question diligently.

"I see.." the man replied thoughtfully.

_I'll have to deal with him later_

"Anyway, with me as your beloved teacher comes a new and improved schedule!"

The students watched curiously as Takaoka pulled out a piece of paper tucked into his back pocket. The smiles soon seized as the class scanned the amount of training session's they'll have to endure for the rest of the year. 

"We're training til _9:00pm?"_ Nagisa spluttered, completely bewildered by the ridiculous timings. 

"Yep, it's designed to make you into top notch assassins in no time!" Takaoka cheered without a care in the world, "Isn't that great!" 

"There's no way we can do that!" Maehara yelled, expressing his disapproval openly, "We have exams to prep for!"

"Hmm.. Hiroto Maehara is it?" the teacher sighed dishearteningly, "Do you mind coming here?" 

The class observed cautiously as the orange-haired boy made his way to the front, his expression clearly displeased. 

_"I don't like where this is going.."_ Katsuna thought, keeping her eyes trained on the teacher. 

~~~~~

_**"Respect your new teacher, I hand picked him myself."** _

~~~~~

The realisation struck Katsuna like a bolt of lightening as Maehara got closer to Takaoka. 

"WAIT DON'T-" she began to alert but it was too late. 

Takaoka had gripped the boy's hair in on hand, bending in over swiftly as a knee smashed into Maehara's stomach. The boy spat out blood as his internal organs took the impact of the blow. 

"Rule number one," Takaoka announced, his smile never faltering, "We **never** say no in my class." 

He threw Maehara to the ground harshly, making the boy coil up in intense pain. The surrounding students gasped in horror at the teacher's violent method, the once cheerful smile now becoming something that could haunt nightmares. 

"There are 2 essential ingredients to earn loyalty in a classroom," Takaoka continued, lecturing the terrified students.

"Affection and _**fear."**_

"Umm.. Takaoka-sensei.. I.. umm..." Kanzaki stammered, slowly building up the courage to confront her teacher, "I think.. if you ask Karasuma-sensei.. his methods are better suited for a class like ours."

"You believe that hmmm.." the teacher responded, his tone dark and sinister. 

Takaoka wandered towards the apprehensive student, intimidating her with each menacing step. He towered over the girl, watching in sick pleasure as Kanzaki's soft smile turned into a trembling fear-stricken frown. 

Just as the beast swung his arm towards his next victim, a sudden impact knocked Takaoka's focus off the student. 

Katsuna had managed to roundhouse kick the back of his head, the unexpectancy whipping the teacher's head to the side. 

"That _hurt,_ " Takaoka grinned, rubbing his head as a throbbing pain began to surface, "Unfortunately for you, **not enough**." 

**"Stop it!"**

Karasuma's yell alerted the group, seizing the situation. The spiky haired teacher descended the grassy bank in a haste, kneeling down beside Maehara who was groaning in pain. 

"How you feeling?" he asked tensely, scanning the large purple bruise that had started form on the boy's stomach, "You two, send him straight to the medical room and make sure he gets a good look at." 

Isogai and Kataoka nodded, helping the injured boy rise to his feet. 

"Oh come on Karasuma, _he'll be fine_ ," Takaoka grinned, shrugging his shoulders, "I didn't go full throttle on him, he is just a student after all." 

"That is no excuse, I will not accept you're teaching methods for this classroom," Karasuma responded, glaring at man. 

"That's funny, I don't remember asking for your approval," Takaoka jeered, tapping his chin mockingly, "This class was handed to me, I can teach how I like." 

_Now if you excuse me..._

Takaoka returned his focus onto Katsuna, grinning sadistically at the girl.

"You've got a bit of spunk in you haven't you?" the teacher smirked eerily, raising his fist. 

Katsuna gritted her teeth, readying herself for the next strike. 

"No!" Karasuma interjected, grabbing hold of the man's elbow, "I will not allow you to hurt these kids."

Takaoka sighed disapprovingly, pulling away from Karasuma's hold before lowering his arm reluctantly. 

"Fine, we're all pals here aren't we, Karasuma?" 

_"Let's settle this as teachers shall we?"_

The man wandered over to the army bag placed next to the stairs, kneeling down beside it. 

"I'll give you an offer to pick out any student you deem is your best and match them against me," Takaoka declared, venturing into his bag, "If they so much as scratch me with the knife, I'll leave, no problem."

"Oh, and we'll be using these babies."

Takaoka threw the weapon towards Karasuma, the steel blade digging into the dirt just below his shoe. 

"I'll be bare handed, _just so you know."_

**"My method against yours."**

"How can I put any of these kids on the spot.." Karasuma thought carefully, scanning the group of frightening expressions, "And wielding an actual blade on top of that.." 

The teacher squeezed his fists, the gears in his brain grinding against one another as he tried to come to down to a final decision. 

**"I'll do it."**

Karasuma shifted his eyes in the direction of the determined voice, her gaze piercing into his own. 

"Are you sure?" Karasuma cautioned, extending the blade towards the girl, "You think you can handle him?"

She took the blade, staring at her reflection in the metal.

~~~~~

**_"They'll never accept you after you betrayed them."_ **

**_"You ruined their efforts"_   
**

~~~~~

_I know that.. but still._

_The others shouldn't have to deal with my mistakes._

_I won't let them get hurt by Principal Asano or Takaoka._

_Even if that means putting my life in danger.._

_I'll do it._

She nodded to Karasuma, staring blankly at the target in front of her. 

"Ah-ha, I had a feeling it might be you," Takaoka chirped, crossing his arms at he looked her up and down. 

_"Sakame Katsuna."_


	33. Brute vs Lightning

_The others shouldn't have to deal with my mistakes._

_I won't let them get hurt by Principal Asano or Takaoka._

_Even if that means putting my life in danger.._

_I'll do it._

_She nodded to Karasuma, staring blankly at the target in front of her._

_"Ah-ha, I had a feeling it might be you," Takaoka chirped, crossing his arms at he looked her up and down._

_"Sakame Katsuna."_

~~~~~

The two opponents stood 6 metres away from each other, both staring one another down. 

"You're going to regret kicking me earlier," Takaoka jeered, painstakingly tracing his lips with his tongue. 

"I'm going to decorate the ground with your blood." 

Katsuna clenched her jaw in response, readying her fighting stance. 

"This isn't going to be easy.." she thought whilst scanning his form, "He's a pro." 

_He's not armed however.. so he's still arrogant above all else._

"Come on, hit me!" Takaoka taunted, _"Or are you scared?"_

_Relax... think it through._

"Going quietly isn't going to work.." Katsuna grimaced, keeping her eyes trained on her target, "I've already revealed that my legs are the core of strength.." 

_Wait.. that's IT!_

_The other skill Karasuma taught me._

_I couldn't use it against Koro-sensei due to his speed._

_Against a human though.._

Katsuna slowly shut her eyes, focusing solely on her breathing as she surrounded herself in darkness. With each deep breathe in, she closed off her other senses one by one, whilst simultaneously counting to 10. 

It was a skill that assassins rarely use in the modern age due to it's outdated stigma. When shutting off the 5 senses, it allows the person to concentrate only on the oxygen that they consume. This quickens the heart rate, therefore pumping the oxygenated blood faster around the body, allowing the muscles to expand, providing the user with a sudden boost of abnormal strength. However, if used incorrectly, the user could suffer from excruciating pain from the tears in the muscles. 

6

_I can do this._

_7_

_I may not be ready to use the method properly but, I just need a tiny boost._

_8_

_Just a bit._

_9_

_**Please...** _

_**10** _

In a blink of an eye, Katsuna thrusted herself forward from her left foot, her speed at unimaginable levels. She darted straight towards her target, her eyes piercing into Takaoka's unsuspecting ones, her dark blood lust exploding. 

Takaoka could barely take a breathe as Katsuna came within point blank range, hauling herself up around the man's neck and shoving him to the ground below. She whipped her knife round, holding it close to Takaoka's trembling throat, just grazing his Adam's apple. 

_It was over._

Katsuna released her hold on Takaoka, staggering towards the grass bank. 

"Jeez, even using it for second takes this much of a toll..." she mumbled, collapsing on the velvety blanket of green, "No wonder people don't use it anymore."

_I did it though._

The class leaped towards Katsuna, erupting with bubbly chatter as they expressed their amazement to their classmate.

"That was incredible!"

"Teach me how to do that sometime will you?"

"Damn, you were so cool!!!"

"Haha.. sure.." Katsuna grinned meekly, scratching the back of her head awkwardly. 

She wasn't used to being ambushed by compliments like this. 

_It felt somewhat... good._

"H-How did you.." Takaoka seethed, interrupting the moment, "You enjoy humiliating me like this?!"

"You little **BITCH!** "

Katsuna watched as he charged towards her like a bull in slow motion, an arm raised back as if he was to full on throttle her. 

_Oh shit.._

Luckily, Karasuma saw the attack coming, sprinting into action as soon as the raging bull made his move. The teacher snaked his arms under Takaoka's before holding his opponents torso in order to restrain him.

Takaoka attempted to thrust himself out of the strong grip, his face red hot wild with rage. Karasuma managed to push him to the floor just in time, before placing his full body weight on the man's back.

"GIVE IT UP!" Karasuma yelled, struggling to keep the gorilla at bay, "YOU'VE LOST!"

"YOU WHORE!" Takaoka bellowed, thick streams of saliva dribbling down his chin, "I'M GOING TO TEACH YOU A LESSON!"

"Enough." 

The command boomed across the field, gripping the attention of every person from it's sheer force. 

Only one voice had that effect. 

Katsuna side eyed Principal Asano cautiously as he passed, his gaze fixed on the two teachers. Karasuma proceeded to let off the trembling man on the ground, allowing the principal to kneel down in front of him. 

"I came to see how our new staff member was handling things," the principal announced, his snake like eyes never leaving Takaokas', "Seems his worth was short lived." 

"But I-" 

"Your methods completely atrocious and do not belong in a prestigious school like this." 

"You said-" 

**"You're done."**

With that spoken, the principal rose to his feet, wiping his hands with a handkerchief as if he'd just touched garbage. As the strode back towards the stairs, he discreetly shot a look to Katsuna, a calculated grin shaping his lips. 

_"Continue working hard."_

Just like that, the guilt returned like a punch to the gut. 

From anyone looking on the outside, it would have seemed that the principal had fired a teacher, simple as that. However, Katsuna could read through the lines, receiving his true message loud and clear. 

This man has the power to bring in a hurricane, watch over its destruction like it was a TV programme and when it's of no use anymore, can simply take it away with a snap of his fingers.

~~~~

**"I'll provide you with 2 weeks to make your decision on whether you want to align yourself with me or make me your enemy."**

~~~~~

This was a direct example of the level of control this man has over his assets.

She would be a fool not to align herself with him. 

_But._

_~~~~~_

The principal disappeared down the mountain path with Takaoka scampering behind him like a frightened pig. 

With the pair gone, Class 3-E returned to usual with their beloved Karasuma back as the P.E teacher. 

_If only things could've stayed normal for a little longer._


	34. Swimsuit Spectacle

"This white bikini is totally gorgeous, the frills are so alluring " 

"No no, this flower patterned one piece is so cute!" 

"Are you kidding? That looks like something a 5 year old would wear!"

"It's better than that trashy piece of cloth!"

"WHICH ONE DO YOU LIKE MOST?" the girls chorused aggressively, shoving their chosen swimsuits in Katsuna's sweating face. 

She internally groaned, far from her comfort zone. 

_How did **I** end up here? _

~~~~~

_Earlier in the day..._

"That's it for today class," Koro-sensei announced, settling down his desk chair, "And remember to bring your swimming costumes for tomorrow." 

"Swimming costumes?" Katsuna exclaimed worriedly as the bell chimed for end of lesson. 

"Of course, Koro-sensei said he'd take care of the pool side of things,"Rio explained, making her way over to the raven haired girl, "I'm actually quite excited." 

"E class don't get school swimsuits as the principal likes to cut costs, plus the only pool Kunugigaoka has is located in the main campus which is obviously off limits to us."

"I bet Okajima's going to have a field day," Kaede sighed, side glancing over to the boy who seemed to staring into space, a line of dribble running down his chin. 

"What a _creep._ "

"Can I not just wear a t-shirt and some shorts into the pool?" Katsuna suggested desperately, confusing the surrounding girls. 

"It'd be way too hot for that," Rio answered, scanning the look on the girl's face.

"Are you maybe.. not comfortable showing off your body?" 

"I guess that's a part of it.." Katsuna replied timidly, adverting her eyes from embarrassment. 

_That and the fact that I can't afford one._

"But your body is stunning!!!" Kaede cried, slamming her hands on the desk, "Your slender figure is too die for, plus you've got a pair of perky boobs to back it up!"

Katsuna's cheek shot up red from the declaration, hiding her face in her hands. 

"Wow, say it louder why don't you," Rio muttered, lightly slapping the back of Kaede's head. 

_Thank god Karma ditched today.. he'd never let me live it down._

_Where is he anyway..?_

"How about we go swimsuit shopping, I'd love to help you pick out something to boost your confidence?"

_HUH?!_

"T-thanks but it's okay," Katsuna shot, shaking her hands defensively, "Plus, I don't really have the funds to spend." 

"Oh no problem!" Rio smiled, grabbing the her arm to pull her up, "I'll treat you!" 

"R-really, I'm fine.." Katsuna responded, attempting to release herself but the grip only tightened. 

"Ha-ha, come on, we'll.. have.. loads.. of.. fun!" the blonde chirped, a menacing tone hinting her voice, "You too Kaede." 

And with that, the trio exited the campus, making their way down to the town centre. 

~~~~~

"E-erm..." Katsuna stammered, searching her surroundings desperately to ease the approaching girls, "H-how about this?" 

The swimsuit she'd picked out was navy blue in colour, the fabric covering the skin from the chest to the knee. 

"No." the pair stated plainly, looking at it in complete disgust. 

_Great._

"Come on Katsuna, pick something a little more revealing..." Rio pleaded, grabbing another swimming costume from the wrack, "Like this!"

Katsuna gazed at the swimsuit... _if it could even be called that._

 _"A little more revealing?!"_ she countered, the skimpy hot pink two piece dangling tauntingly, "That looks like something someone would wear to a porn shoot." 

"I mean, she kinda does have a point," Kaede sympathised, "I couldn't even fill it." 

"At least I didn't pick out something my 2 year old cousin would wear her first swimming lesson," Rio huffed, placing the bikini back on the wrack, "Like hell I'd let Katsuna wear something with a unicorn on it."

"I thought it was super cute.." Kaede mumbled sourly, turning her back on the blonde. 

"You both do have some interesting tastes..." Katsuna chuckled nervously, attempting to break the tension. 

Just as she turned her head to the side, the girl caught sight of swimsuit that seemed to stand out from the rest, as if it was calling out to her. Katsuna strode towards it, grimacing slightly at how much it would reveal... 

However, it was half decent and would end this awful trip sooner.... 

"I'll take this one Rio!"

~~~~~

"I'm pumped to see the pool and stuff.. but how much further is it?" Sugino complained, wiping the sweat accumulating on his forehead. 

"We're nearly there folks," Koro-sensei declared, the class sighing in relief. 

"This heatwave is a monster," Maehara whined, attempting to shade his eyes with his hands but to no avail. 

"You can say that again," Isogai smiled meekly, pacing beside his orange haired friend.

"Oh Maehara, is your stomach feeling any better?" Katsuna called, speeding up to meet his pace, "I'm sorry I didn't step in sooner, it was too late when I realised his motive." 

"Ah don't you worry about a thing," the boy beamed, a wide grin spreading across his face, "I'm stronger than I look, see!" 

Maehara took the opportunity to lift his shirt, revealing his toned core. The previous throbbing purple bruise had now faded into a light red-ish pink colour. 

"Like what you see?" Maehara grinned cheekily, referring to the relieved smile on Katsuna's lips. 

The thought clicked after a moment in her brain, making her stumble back in embarrassment. 

"T-that's not what I-" Katsuna stammered, the right words failing to be reached as her cheeks burned. 

"I'm only kidding," Maehara chuckled lightly, "You know, you're kinda cute when you-"

"Oi Klutzuna!" 

The voice interrupted Maehara's compliment, making the pair whip their heads round to face a scowling redhead. 

"That's a shame, I was hoping you had fallen into a ditch somewhere with all the lesson's you've ditched," Katsuna dramatically sighed in disappointment, "So much for that dream." 

" _Ha-Ha_ , you know that's top level comedy right there," Karma responded sarcastically, throwing his hands behind his head as he sauntered in between Katsuna and Maehara. 

He shot the boy a threatening side glare, sending his message clearly. 

"You know, I think I might catch up with Isogai," Maehara suggested wearily, "Catch you guys later."

Without a second to waste, the orange haired boy scampered off towards the class rep, leaving Karma and Katsuna in the dust. 

"What was that about?" she mumbled questionably, shrugging her shoulders dismissively. 

"I heard you dealt with the newcomer pretty savagely," Karma began, glancing down at the raven haired girl beside him, "Even the principal had to step in, weird that he's make an appearance though huh.." 

"He said he just wanted to see the guy in action," Katsuna replied nonchalantly, playing it off cool, "Just lucky timing I guess." 

"Yeah.. _what are the chances?"_ the redhead pressed, attempting to achieve any reaction from the girl. 

The tension spiked rapidly with Katsuna barely being able to keep a straight face. Luckily, the group soon arrived at the makeshift pool, allowing her to create some distance from the persistent boy. 

"This is incredible!!" Sugino hollered, feasting his eyes on the view. 

The fairly large reservoir was shaped like a rectangle with a dam at the other end to prevent any currents within the crystal clear water. Koro-sensei had already added lane ropes in case any students wanted to practice lane swimming and had kept a wide free area for for students who would just like to splash about. 

It was perfect for a scorching day like this. 

"Woohoo!!!" 

The students cheered with enthusiasm, some cannon balling into the refreshing water below and others opting for the safety of the ladder entrance. 

"Hey Koro-sensei, why don't you join us?" Hinano hummed, splashing the teacher who was sat high up in his lifeguard chair.

The octopus shrieked in terror, recoiling from the touch of the water. 

A moment of silence passed as the student's processed the situation.

"Did he just...." Maehara started, staring in surprise. 

"....scream like a _toddler?"_ Isogai finished, equally shocked. 

With a sadistic grin plastered to his face, Karma clasped a hand onto the bottom of the highchair before beginning to thrust it back and forth with force. It began to rock, startling Koro-sensei even more as he feared he would fall in. 

Karma laughed mercilessly at Koro-sensei's panic, though it was short lived as the octopus used his speed to climb to the ground, a fair distance from the redhead.

"What's up with you?" Maehara questioned curiously, "It's only water." 

"W-well you see.. I don't really feel like swimming right now..." the teacher faltered, his lying completely obvious to the class of students.

"Waittt a minute!" Karma jeered, pointing to Koro-sensei as his brain clicked, "I bet that you can't swim, _can you?"_

"Sure I can... but then again... _maybe I can't,"_ Koro sensei responded cautiously, one of his most promising weaknesses now revealed to the class. 

"This is great, it could be a really good help in our future assassination attempts!" Nagisa beamed, punching the air enthusiastically. 

"We're one step closer to defeating him!" 

~~~~~

"Come on Katsuna, take that jacket off and get in!" Rio encouraged splashing her slightly. The blonde was wearing a tightly fitted pink bikini, sculpturing her curves gracefully as she swam.

Katsuna peered down nervously at the water below, watching her reflection ripple in it's movements. 

There'd also been another reason why she hadn't owned a swimsuit, one that she neglected to mention earlier to the girls out of embarrassment. 

Katsuna didn't know how to swim. 

"At least let us see you in the swimming costume!" Kaede whined, using her puppy dog eyes as means to guilt trip the girl. 

_I guess that couldn't hurt.. Rio did spend her money buying it for me.._

"F-fine.." Katsuna stammered, her cheeks tinged pink as she began to lift the jacket. 

"Yasss, let's see that bikini girl~" the girls squealed together, drawing the attention of the rest of the class. 

Their jaws dropped as Katsuna let the her cover-ups fall on top of the stones below. 

"D-does it look alright..?" she stuttered, a timid smile gracing her lips as her cheeks tinged pink. 

The two piece bikini she had chosen was crimson red with black laces holding the fabric together. The swimsuit hugged her figure bewitchingly, the laces tied into bows that laid almost erotically on the side of each outer thigh and at the bottom of her cleavage. 

"Holy cow!" Rio gasped in astonishment, thrusting 2 thumbs up to her friend in her approval. 

"You look like a model!" Kaede clapped, her smile wide in support, "You go girl!" 

Katsuna's confidence boosted slightly from the comments, the girls' distracting her from a certain redhead's agonisingly intense gaze as he hungrily bit down hard on his bottom lip. 

"Hey Katsuna, look over here!" Okajima called, snapping a picture of the black haired girl with a trickle of blood running from his nose.

_"So round, they're so round..."_

_"They're not just big!"_

_"The subtle curves of that supreme soft flesh....."_

_**"Thank you God."** _

"No cameras in the pool!" Koro-sensei yelled, yanking the device out of the perverted boy's hand whilst he focusing on his internal monologue, "And especially no inappropriate photos!" 

" _Seriously_ , how creepy can you get?" Kaede shunned, shaking her head disapprovingly. 

"It's not creepy, its my form of art!" Okajima retorted, folding his arms defensively. 

"Gee... is that _seriously_ your excuse?"

~~~~~

"Wait Nagisa, you're really....... a dude?" Rio exhaled disappointingly as she gazed upon his boobless chest. 

"O-of course I am!" the blue haired boy wailed. 

"We thought you were flat like Kaede," Fuwa commented, receiving a glare from the green haired girl. 

"Hey, where'd Katsuna go?" Rio chirped, scanning the pool. 

"Now you mention it, Karma's missing too," Nagisa responded, his eyes unable to find his red haired friend. 

_Where the hell have those two gone off to?_


	35. A Meathead's Proposal

_"Hey, where'd Katsuna go?" Rio chirped, scanning the pool._

_"Now you mention it, Karma's missing too," Nagisa responded, his eyes unable to find his red haired friend._

_Where the hell have those two gone off to?_

~~~~~ 

"Can you slow down?!" Katsuna snapped, barely being able to keep up with the redhead's pace as he pulled her tightly by the wrist. 

The boy continued forwards, blatantly disregarding her request. 

Katsuna scowled in annoyance towards the redhead's uncalled for behaviour. Back at the pool, he'd used Okajima's scene as a distraction, allowing him to drag Katsuna back up the mountain trail. She'd been taken by surprise from his actions though she wasn't about to complain about being led away from the dreaded water. 

"I can walk on my own, just so you know," Katsuna challenged, attempting to arise some sort of reaction from the boy.

"Jeez, are you just going to-" 

She was cut off by the swift movements of the redhead as he dropped his hold on the unsuspecting girl, striding towards aggressively, making Katsuna stumbled backwards uneasily until her back hit the trunk of a nearby tree. Karma slammed his hand beside her head, his mercury eyes inches from her own. 

"Shut up!" Karma spat, clenching his jaw, "What the hell were you thinking?" 

Katsuna gulped down her nerves, her thoughts scrambled as she stared into his spiteful glare. 

"W-what do you-" she managed, her voice barely a whisper. 

"Are you _seriously_ that dense?" the redhead shot, his tone changing from anger to.. desperation?

"If I had stayed there a minute longer with the others looking at you like **that**..." he clenched his fists tightly, barely being able to control the rage from boiling over. 

"H-Huh?" Katsuna breathed softly, completely dumbfounded by the remark. 

"Don't play dumb," Karma hushed, lowering his voice. 

His free hand glided down the side of her exposed stomach, his touch stimulating a gentle warmth throughout her body as he traced her outer thigh with his fingers.

"I shouldn't have to tell you."

_T-this is completely different than before..._

Katsuna gradually sunk into the hypnotic feel, her breathes becoming heavy as her cheeks tinged pink. The response was beyond her, as if something had completely taken over her senses. 

Karma swept his palm up her body temptingly. Upon reaching her jawline, the redhead proceeded to graze a thumb across her slightly-parted lips. 

"I can hardly control myself around you," he purred deeply.

_S-shit.._

Katsuna's brain finally clicked back into action as the redhead drew closer to her sweet virgin lips. 

"W-wait.." she stammered faintly, the boy's warm breaths against her skin becoming stronger.

_He's so c-close..._

Katsuna squeezed her eyes closed, her heart beating out of her chest as she anticipated the touch of his lips. 

...

......

.........

_H-huh?_

Katsuna peeked through her eye lids cautiously, her lips absent from any movement. 

She gaped in horror as the redhead was stood in front of her, his palm plastered to his mouth as he barely held back in his laughter. 

_T-THAT!_

The heat within Katsuna spiked out of control, her mortified face now on fire as she processed the situation. 

_I-I NEARLY....._

_A-AND HE....._

**"YOU FUCKING ASSHOLE!"**

Katsuna slammed her foot into Karma's crotch, the boy being so distracted by his chuckles that he'd forgotten her vicious attacks. 

Karma collapsed to the ground in agony, clutching his lower area as Katsuna stormed off towards the wooden campus, pissed beyond words. 

~~~~~ 

"It was humiliating," Katsuna wailed into her hands, "I can't believe I fell for it." 

"There there," Rio sighed, patting her friend's shoulder sympathetically. 

After disappearing from the pool, the blonde had pressed Katsuna for answers after class, hoping to get some hot juicy gossip. In a matter of minutes, the flustered raven haired girl had spilled the details, ashamed at herself for letting the redhead get inside her head. 

"By the sounds of it, the guy ain't having any children in he future," Rio mentioned reassuringly, "So there's that."

"I think I've done the world a favour then," Katsuna replied, a small smile returning to her face. 

"Ain't that the truth!"

The pair chuckled lightly before turning their attention to door of the classroom as it slammed open. 

"Jeez, what's your problem?" Rio taunted, gazing over Terasaka's scowling expression. 

"Shut it Blondie," the meathead growled, stomping over towards his desk.

"Now now Terasaka," Koro-sensei spoke up, making his way over to the back, "What's got you all riled up?" 

"Are you seriously trying to counsel me right now?" the boy seethed, glaring daggers at the octopus. 

"Man, you going through puberty cuz your hormone levels are crazy high," Yoshida joked to his friend, though the mutt wasn't having any of it. 

"I'm sick of you all being so buddy buddy with the oversized seafood dish," Terasaka chided, narrowing his eyes directly at Koro-sensei, "He's a monster."

"If your going to have such a sissy fit about it, why not do something instead of twiddling your thumbs like a stuck up retard," Karma suggested nonchalantly, leaning against the doorway. 

"You looking to start a fight?" Terasaka threatened, striding towards the redhead, "Cuz I've wanted to bash that stupid smirk of your face since-" 

"Watch it, Big Boy," Karma interjected, silencing the bully by grabbing his mouth with his bare hand, "You might yourself hurt." 

"Let go of me!" Terasaka slapped his hand away aggressively, retrieving a can of bug stray from his pocket. 

"You're all a bunch of fucking ants ready to be killed by my foot," he declared, throwing the can to the ground. 

The fumes exploded into the air, filling the classroom with its awful gas. The students coughed violently, startled by the uncalled for prank. 

"T-That l-little.." Rio choked, the fumes getting caught in her throat. 

By the time the gas had cleared, Terasaka had stormed out, leaving the class dry mouthed, angry and confused. 

"That was weird, even for him," Katsuna thought suspiciously, "And what was up with that bug spray stunt...?"

_It's probably nothing._

~~~~~ 

_"Oh Karma, kiss me, I'm dying for the touch of your lips~"_

_"I'm begging you, feel me here you big ol' brute~"_

_"Oh my, you are packing aren't you, don't be such a tease, let me see for myself~"_

_I swear to god, I'm going insane._

_"Mwah Mwah~"_

Katsuna watched in utter disgust as Karma smooched the air in front of him teasingly. 

The redhead had been relentless with his taunts, as if yesterday's advents had sparked some sort of creative streak. 

_Sweet Jesus, hold me back from murdering this son of a bitch._

"How about we make you reenact the scene were you're on the ground, huh?" she suggested, a sinister smile decorating her face, "I'd be happy to make it as realistic as possible."

"Thinking of my junk already, my my, you're eager today," Karma smirked, laying his head on top of his arm as he observed Katsuna's irradiated expression from his desk. 

"Karma, Katsuna, remember this is a silent study period," Koro-sensei called from the front, his voice extremely nasally.

"To be fair teach, that gunk running down your face is putting me off," Karma responded, side eyeing the octopus. 

"Well it's not my fault I caught a cold," he defended, "My nose won't stop running as of yesterday."

"And that's my problem because...?"

Just then, the door opened wide, revealing the meathead of Class 3-E. 

"Terasaka, how wonderful!" Koro-sensei beamed, rushing over to the student, "I was so worried that you might have ditched us all."

The mucus splattered over the boy's face as he spoke, Terasaka's unimpressed expression saying it all. He reached towards Koro-sensei's tie, wiping the yellow gunk off his face before he replied. 

"I didn't come because I wanted to attend class," Terasaka spat, shoving his hands into his pockets. 

"Not that he'd hope to learn anything anyway with that walnut sized brain," Karma snickered quietly, making the boy shoot him a dirty glare. 

"As I was saying," Terasaka continued, returning his focus to the teacher, "How about we stop beating around the bush and actually killed you for real?"

_Huh??_

"How you gonna do that Eisenstein?" Rio jeered, a wide smirk spread out on her face.

"Why don't you come and find out?" Terasaka countered, a little too confidently, "Come by the pool after class today."

"In fact, why doesn't everyone come, you could help me push him in, water is his biggest weakness after all."

"Why would we help you?" Katsuna spoke up, her tone highly suspicious of the boy's sudden 180 mood swing from yesterday's actions. 

"Whatever cupcake," Terasaka grunted, the nickname making her skin crawl, "I didn't wanna share the prize money with you losers anyway."

With that said, the boy marched out of the classroom with an odd sense of conviction. Even if he prided himself off having the worst personality in the class, the students were still curious about the assassination attempt the guy had in store. 

They'd never let something like this slip through their fingers. 

"Still though...." Katsuna thought intently. 

_"It's like he has more faith in the plan than in himself."_


	36. Detonation Plan

_Even if he prided himself off having the worst personality in the class, the students were still curious about the assassination attempt the guy had in store._

_They'd never let something like this slip through their fingers._

_"Still though...." Katsuna thought intently._

_"It's like he has more faith in the plan than in himself."_

~~~~~ 

"Everyone spread out!" Terasaka ordered impatiently, waving his gun around from the rocky ledge overlooking the pool. 

"Yeah yeah," Maehara huffed in response, highly irritated.

 _"Great,_ so we decide to help him and the guy goes all power crazy." 

"Let's just see what he has planned," Kataoka sighed, rubbing her temples as she furthered herself from the orange haired boy. 

The class were currently in the pool, holding their anti-sensei knives as they reluctantly listened out for Terasaka's instructs. No-one had been properly informed about the ' _master plan'_ so their doubts were settled high. 

Unlike the rest of her classmates, Katsuna had chosen to stay hip deep in the water, making sure her feet could safely touch the ground at all times. 

_"I'm fine, it's all good..."_ she rhythmically told herself, the water rising up and down against her skin, _"You'll be out in no time."_

_You idiot, I should have ditched like Karma.. too late now._

"Ahh, so I'm guessing the idea is to push me in and have everyone ambush me in the water?" Koro-sensei suggested, placing a tentacle on his chin.

"It would be pretty successful, if you figure out a way to push me in."

Terasaka grunted in annoyance, seemingly contemplating something before pointing the gun at his teacher.

"For the record, I've never seen you as the teacher you wish so hard for us to accepted you as," Terasaka declared, scowling harshly. 

**"You'll always be a monster."**

With that said, the boy pulled the trigger on the gun but weirdly.. no shot sound was made. 

In that critical split second confusion, the dam keeping all the water at bay at the end of the pool blew up. The water began gushing out of the confided space, the powerful current sweeping the children off their feet. 

_HUH!?_

What followed was complete and utter panic. 

The class screamed in fear as they were forced to submit to the water's will, now being carried down the stream at high speed. Some of them tried to fight the current, kicking hard against it to gain some upper ground, but even for the strongest swimmers, their attempts were futile. 

All they could do was keep their heads up out of the water by treading water. 

"CHILDREN!" Koro-sensei yelped, diving into action. 

_THERE'S A WATERFALL AHEAD, IF THEY GO OVER...._

He reached his tentacles into the rushing water, barely managing to grab hold of a few students before placing them to the side, out of harms way. Using his speed, he scanned the water, launching his tentacles towards the next set of students he could see. 

_Isogai_ ✓ _Fuwa_ ✓ _Mimura_ ✓ _Sosuke_ ✓ _Rio_ ✓ _Okajima_ ✓ _Hinata_ ✓ _Okuda_ ✓ _Kataoka_ ✓

 _Kaede_ ✓ _Kanzaki_ ✓ _Kimura_ ✓ _Hinano_ ✓ _Kirara_ ✓ _Hayami_ ✓ _Sumire_ ✓ _Maehara_ ✓ 

_Nagisa_ ✓

 _Muramatsu_ ✓

 _Y_ _ada_ ✓

 _"....and Yoshida,"_ Koro-sensei mentally checked off. 

_21 students... not including Ritsu, Karma or Terasaka.._

_Wait.._

_**Someone's missing!** _

At the moment of the horrific revelation, a blue tentacle tightly wrapped around Koro-sensei's waist, the octopus too distracted to notice the following attack as he was plunged into the rushing water below. 

Koro-sensei resurfaced in a matter of milliseconds, his scrambled attention-span now directed towards a boy with tentacle hair and a man dressed head to toe in white. 

"Hello again, _Brother."_

~~~~~ _  
_

_Minutes earlier:_

"Fuck me, it's baking out here," Karma complained, sheltered himself form the sun's harmful rays with his arms.

The redhead had grown bored wandering the forest whilst his classmates were helping with Terasaka's assassination plan. He had decided to see for himself how it would turn out, hoping for a something to rile the meathead up with tomorrow. 

There had also been a small jealously factor in his decision making, sparked by the gawking session that had happened the previous day. 

"Maehara's so dead," Karma spat, shoving his hands in his pockets. 

_Boom!_

The ear-piercing sound made the redhead jump back defensively, every sense now on alert. 

_THE HELL?!_

Karma sprinted into action, sweating nervously as he dashed towards the pool. 

_"This is not good."_

The redhead gasped as his eyes settled on what once a stunning reservoir, now a dried up empty space with only small puddles as evidence of its previous glory.

_**Katsuna.** _

_"It wasn't my fault, I swear.. I had no idea."_

He forcibly took his focus away from sickening feeling in the pit of his stomach, turning towards the quivering boy beside him. 

"Speak up, what the hell happened?!" Karma commanded, the full extent of the situation not fully registering inside his mind. 

_"This wasn't part of the deal.. Itona was supposed to help me push him in.. it wasn't my fault."_

"So you let yourself become a pawn in someone-else's plan, **you pathetic excuse of a human**." 

"LISTEN IT'S NOT MY FAULT!" Terasaka yelled, the panic clear in his eyes, "YOU GOTTA BELIEVE ME, I DIDN'T- _UGH!_ "

The boy was silenced by a single fist to the jaw, the impact sending him crashing to the ground. 

"If you've got time to snivel about your choices, I suggest you find a way to fix this," Karma snarled, inches away from beating Terasaka to the brink of unconsciousness.

The redhead had to physically refrain himself from doing so, the bigger picture now becoming more threatening by the second. 

_**God.** _

He took off, bolting downstream towards the sounds of distant screams, leaving the pitiful brute on the ground. 

Terasaka was the least of his worries. 

_Koro-sensei wouldn't let a student die under his care.. he saved us in a blink of an eye._

_There's no way._

_Unless..._

His heart rate was through the roof, his fear increasing with each step. 

_**Please.** _

_**Let her be safe.** _

Karma reached the edge of the waterfall, surrounding himself with the other students. His panicked mercury eyes were drawn to the fight happening down below between Koro-sensei and Itona. 

With only a glance, he could tell the octopus was severely on the defensive. 

Koro-sensei's tentacles had swollen from the water intake whilst he was trying to save the children, not to mention his attention was split between the fight and the 3 other students who weren't in the clear just yet. 

Muramatsu and Yoshida were barely hanging onto the rocks down the side of the cliff, not only that, Sumire was wrapped around a branch that could barely support her weight. 

**It was a complete shit show.**

"Guys, has anyone seen Katsuna, I can't find her!" Rio shivered, her eyes wide with fright. 

"What? Didn't Koro-sensei save her?" Karma shot, the dread slowly seeping in. 

"We were all barely treading water," Kaede explained, a look of horror on her face.

" _Wait.._ _what if Katsuna..._ what if she can't swim?" 

"B-but the w-waterfall.." Rio pressed, shaking from head to toe, _"Oh no.."_

**"I'm going after her."**

"W-wait!" 

Karma sprinted away without turning back, his mind set on one thing. 

_**Katsuna.** _

He followed the stream as it rushed through the forest, the water now beginning to settle into a tranquil flow as if to tease Karma's hammering heart. 

_Please be safe_

_Please be safe_

_Please be safe_

_"Come on, where are you?"_ he panted, desperately scanning the riverbanks for any sign of the raven haired girl.

_I can't.._

_I don't think I can...._

_Katsuna.._

Just as Karma was beginning to think the worst, his sharp mercury eyes snapped to a fallen tree trunk laying across the river. There beside the bark, was Katsuna, settled neatly on the damp soil, seemingly unmoving. 

_Holy shit._

Karma leaped towards her, slipping his hands under her armpits to pull her up the side of the riverbank. 

_"I've got you, I've got you..."_

With care, the redhead stroke her drenched hair, placing two fingers on her neck gently. 

_"Thank god,"_ Karma breathed upon feeling a slight pulse, his worries now partly subsided.

_There's no time to waste._

With that, the boy took off his black cardigan, wrapping Katsuna up within it's warmth before scooping her up in his arms. 

_**"Terasaka's going to pay dearly once this is over."** _

~~~~~ 

Upon his return to the top of the waterfall, Karma had found that the situation had only fallen worse. 

Koro-sensei was seriously in need of some help and there was only one person who was smart enough to come up with something. 

"Karma, I need you," Terasaka spoke up, striding towards the redhead. 

The boy hesitated slightly as he caught sight of the unconscious girl in his arms, swallowing down his guilt drily. 

"Don't speak, I'm barely holding myself back right now for the sake of everyone here," Karma warned sinisterly, placing Katsuna against the tree tentatively. 

_Don't worry, you'll be safe soon.. just hold on a little longer._

"You don't understand," Terasaka pressed courageously, interrupting Karma's thoughts. 

**"I want to be your puppet."**

_"Huh?"_

"You're ingenious when it comes to thinking up plans," the boy explained, barely maintaining eye contact with the redhead's piercing gaze, "Let me be the brawn to your brains." 

"So you wanna be my _lackey.._ " Karma smirked, the gears in his brain clanking together as they turned, _"Yeah... that could work.."_

"All right, fine.. **but** be warned, _I'm not going to go easy on you._ " 

~~~~~ 

"Now Itona, _finish him,"_ Shiro commanded, observing with sick pleasure as his plan was finally reaching it's climax. 

**"HEY SCUMBAG, WHY NOT COME AT ME INSTEAD?"**

The pair turned to the direction of the brutish voice, almost pity what they saw. 

Terasaka had jumped down from the rocks, now facing Itona head on whilst holding his shirt.

"NO TERASAKA!" Koro-sensei called out weakly, "HE'LL SMASH YOU TO PIECES!"

The meathead gritted his teeth, a cynical smile gracing his features. 

_You damn octopus, you really think I'm **that** weak?_

"Poor boy, we must have damaged his precious ego," Shiro sneered, observing the situation at hand, "No matter, shut him down Itona." 

Without hesitation, Itona slammed a tentacle against Terasaka's muscular core. However, the mutt head had anticipated this move and was now gripping on tightly to the blue tentacle with his shirt. 

_Now all I have to do is keep holding on.._

_No matter what..._

_**Don't let go.** _

"My, that's pretty impressive," Shiro spoke in a patronising manor, "Let's see if you can keep it-"

_"ACHOO!"_

The man in white was silenced by the sneeze, immediately alerted towards Itona's position.

"Huh, Itona what's wrong?" he questioned, his doubts beginning to settle in.

The boy was unable to reply, his sneezes now becoming repetitive. 

"That shirt is the same one I wore yesterday," Terasaka jeered, a meticulously grin stretched out on his lips, "It still has some residue from that bug spray fumes from yesterday." 

_The gas was specifically designed to attack Koro-sensei's allergies so he wouldn't smell these two douchbags approaching._

_**Karma was right.** _

_If it was effective on Koro-sensei, it has to also be effective on Itona._

_And now that they're distracted...._

Terasaka observed the octopus as he rescued Sumire from the branch just in time as it fell into the rushing water below. 

_Let's turn Koro-sensei's biggest weakness against them._

"Oi, Yoshida, Muramatsu," he shouted up to his two friends, "Give us a nice big splash, aye!"

"EVERYONE ELSE, JOIN IN!"

The class shrieked in excitement as they received the memo loud and clear. They leaped into the water below, surrounding Itona with splashes from all sides. In no time at all, Itona's tentacles began to swell up, too caught of guard to defend himself. 

The tables had turned, all thanks to a certain redhead. 

"Here's the deal," Karma shouted, gaining the attention of the two unwelcomed guests as he jumped down to the rocky ledge, "We're not cool with you receiving all the prize money, let alone placing all our lives at risks." 

"Someone I care a lot about also got hurt during your little plan, so I suggest you pack up and leave in the next 10 seconds or you'll have to deal with all of us.

" _And trust me, I'll take_ ** _great pleasure_** _in_ ** _bashing_** _your skulls into the ground._ " 

"Well played," Shiro seethed, reluctantly turning away from the disgraceful scene.

"Let's go Itona, we're withdrawing." 

The pair disappeared into the forest, severely outmatched by their counterparts. 

"Jeez, I thought we'd never get rid of them," Sugino exhaled in relief. 

"Tell me about it," Fuwa smiled, throwing a fist into the air as a form of celebration, "Nothing like a bit of an adrenaline rush to fuel the day." 

"Hey, watch what you say," Rio nudged, pointing towards the redhead who had managed to return himself to the top of the cliff with Koro-sensei beside him. 

Their teacher was carrying Katsuna's unconscious form in his tentacles, conversing with Karma before using his speed to pace in the direction of the wooden campus. 

"Do you think she'll be okay?" Fuwa asked hesitantly, observing Karma's distant expression. 

"I don't know.. " Rio replied softly, squeezing her fists slightly.

_But with Koro-sensei... **she's in the best care possible.**_


	37. Beyond the Limit

_"Doesn't the sky look beautiful."_

Silver moonlight spilled through the open blinds, illuminating the bedroom just enough to navigate through the toys scattered on the ground. 

Katsuna rolled her head against the pillow, gazing in wonderment as she followed her mother's eye to the glistening sparks of light above. 

_"Each one is someone who has passed on from this world, forever looking out for their loved ones who are still here."_

She caressed Katsuna's hand softly with a delicate finger, repetitively drawing a circle on her daughter's palm. 

_"I'll always be with you, my little songbird."_

The warmth from her hand melted suddenly, replaced with a dread-fuelled sweat. 

_Mum...where are you?_

**Silence.**

_Please.._

**Nothing.**

_I-I'm.._

Out of the pitch black abyss, a pair of slender hands lunged towards her, dripping with thick red blood.

_**Found you.** _

~~~~~ 

Katsuna bolted upright in the bed, her heart hammering inside her chest as if she'd just run a marathon. 

_"Ugh~"_ she groaned, slamming a hand against her forehead as a throbbing pain surfaced. 

_Huh.. bandages?_

**"Hey, be careful!"**

With her head hanging low, Katsuna side-eyed a certain redhead before breathing in deeply. 

_So it was just a nightmare._

She settled her head back against the plump white pillow, taking a moment to scan her surroundings with a clear head. 

_This looks like the main campus infirmary.._

_I must have been in some serious trouble if the principal allowed a Class 3-E student in._

_Wait.._

_Oh, I see.._

_He wants to keep a close eye on me just in case I slip up._

_**Of course.** _

"What are you thinking about?" Karma interrupted, staring intensively at the girl. 

Katsuna focused her attention back on the boy, hesitating slightly before answering. 

_What if he heard me?_

_I need to play it off._

"I was trying to remember what happened," she replied gingerly, her own words triggering the memory of rushing water. 

"Terasaka's plan didn't work out like he hoped," Karma briefed, explaining Shiro's involvement and the explosion of the dam.

"At some point in the panic, you were sucked under the water's current and most likely hit your head on ground, causing you to become unconscious."

"Sounds like just another average day," Katsuna joked, but the tension in the room only grew. 

"Why did you get in the water if you knew you couldn't swim?" Karma chastised, narrowing his eyes, "Do you realise how incredibly stupid that was?" 

"Well I'm here now, isn't that good enough?" Katsuna argued, caught off guard slightly by the redhead's sudden pugnacity, "Jeez, what's your problem?" 

"My problem is that you're keeping secrets from me," Karma accused, biting back words, "Just, tell me.. if you can't swim, I mean." 

"This isn't just about the pool situation is it?" Katsuna demanded, now gaining the bigger picture, "Go on, spit it out!" 

"Fine!"

"I've been watching you ever since we first met."

"At first, it was because I wanted to find your weaknesses so I could punish you for being the first to hurt Koro-sensei."

~~~~~ 

_**"I was planning on being the first and you ruined it."** _

**_"You are nothing but dirt I can rub off my boot at anytime, now fuck off."_ ** _**  
** _

~~~~~ _**  
**_

"But you were stronger than I had previously thought."

"You stood up for yourself.. took no shit." 

~~~~~

_**Katsuna swung her hand around, colliding it with Karma's cheek.** _

**_"IF YOU GLARE AT ME ONCE MORE OR TELL ME TO FUCK OFF AGAIN, I WILL LITERALLY END UP RIPPING OFF YOUR STUPID PERIOD COLOURED HAIR!"_ **

~~~~~

"But the more I observed and took in, the clearer it became that something wasn't right and that you were changing, like when we got caught eavesdropping by the principal." 

~~~~~ 

**_"I'm looking forward to your next visit."_ **

~~~~~ 

"It became even more obvious after mid-terms that you were dealing with something."

~~~~~ 

**_There was something about her mood or maybe it was the way she was walking.... like someone who has been rid of strength._ **

~~~~~ 

"I called you out on it back in Kyoto but you shut me down."

~~~~~

_**"Don't distance yourself idiot, you're making everyone worry about you."** _

**_"You don't know what you're talking about so leave it." Katsuna shot coldly._ ** _**  
** _

~~~~~ ** _  
_**

"I got frustrated, no one get's away with shoving me to the side like you did."

"So when I found out about your part time job, I cruelly wanted to test my theory out."

~~~~~

**_"I could go straight up to the principal and tell him," he smirked, observing Katsuna as her eyes widened in terror, "But that wouldn't be so fun."_ **

~~~~~ ** _  
_**

"But I was careless.. impatient..."

"I didn't realise how much it was affecting you." 

~~~~~

**_A tear dropped onto Karma's cheek, making him look up into her vulnerable eyes in surprise._ **

~~~~~ ** _  
_**

"After that, I left it alone, but seeing you run off towards the principal after the baseball game, I knew that this situation wasn't going anywhere anytime soon."

~~~~~

_**"I gotta go," Katsuna address the redhead, her eyes never leaving the movements of the man for even a second.** _

~~~~~ _**  
**_

"I got angry again after you kept shutting me down."

~~~~~ 

**_"When are you going to stop asking," Katsuna muttered fiercely, keeping her lips sealed, "I already told you, I went to the vending machine."_ **

**_"That's bullshit and we both know it," the redhead retorted, "You're hiding something, aren't you?"_ **

~~~~~ 

"It took literal evidence that even you couldn't lie yourself out of, for you to finally admit that single truth." 

~~~~~ 

**_"Fine, yes, okay," Katsuna gave in to the redhead's persistent remarks, "I knew that there would be another teacher joining E Class."_ **

~~~~~ 

"Yet, there's still so much you're not telling me!" Karma continued to rant breathlessly.

"Why are you in connection with the principal?"

"There's no way you're doing this off your own accord, so what does he have-" 

"IT WAS MY CHOICE!" Katsuna exploded, cutting the redhead off. 

_That's right._

_**It was.** _

"THEN WHY DO YOU ALWAYS LOOK SO UNHAPPY?!" Karma shot back loudly, startling the raven head with the rise in volume. 

"JUST TELL ME WHAT'S GOING ON AND I CAN-"

 **"YOU CAN DO WHAT?!"** Katsuna thundered, a burning fire blazing in her eyes.

**"YOU'RE COMPLETELY AND UTTERLY USELESS IN MY SITUATION!"**

_I'm right._

**"STOP BADGERING ME WITH IMPRACTICAL QUESTIONS THAT'LL MAKE YOU FEEL LIKE YOU KNOW ME WHEN YOU DON'T!"**

_This needs to be said._

**" _YOU_ JUST WANT THE CHANCE TO PLAY HERO IN YOUR LITTLE FANTASY WORLD BUT I'M NOT LOOKING FOR SOMEONE TO RUN AROUND IN CAPES WITH!"**

_Don't look in his eyes._

**"SO DO ME A FAVOUR AND STAY THE FUCK OUT OF MY LIFE FROM NOW ON, I CAN DEAL WITH IT MYSELF!"**

_I can._

_Everything was fine before I got too attached to E Class._

_Even the principal warned me and I didn't listen._

_But now I'll start looking out for myself and myself alone._

_I'll cross everyone else out._

_Principal Asano... Koro-sensei... Karma... Nagisa... Rio... Sugino... Kaede..._

_It doesn't matter if either side wins the battle, just as long as I'm given as much time as I need._

_If that means playing along with the principal's antics..._

_**Then fine.** _

_CRASH!_

Katsuna whipped her towards the head-splitting noise, holding her breath as Karma now towered over her bed, the force of which he stood sending the chair behind him smashing to the ground. 

Fortunately, his eyes were hidden under his crimson fringe, concealing his most vulnerable emotion. 

_Hurt._

The redhead stormed out the infirmary, slamming the door behind him without a word, leaving Katsuna alone with her thoughts. 

_No going back now..._

_At least... he'll back off now._

_But.._

_**Why do I want to get up and chase him?** _


	38. Asano's Mistake

"So you've come to that decision, _excellent."_

Katsuna kept a straight face as she watched the principal clap to her conclusion. 

She didn't feel rewarded. 

It was something that she had to do. 

_Buy your time as they say._

~~~~~ 

"Finals already huh.." Katsuna whistled, resting her arms behind her head as she strolled through the empty main campus corridors. 

_"Time really flies..."_

~~~~~ _  
_

**_"Why do you always look so unhappy?!"_ **

~~~~~ 

_Maybe I should do something..._

Since their fight, the redhead hadn't even looked in her direction let alone spoken one word to her. 

Though, it wasn't like she'd tried either. 

_Crap.. no.. stop thinking about it._

_I've already made my decision._

~~~~~ _  
_

**_"Time is a precious thing, don't you agree?"_ ** _  
_

~~~~~ **_  
_**

_I have to be selfish if I want to survive._

_I don't get the luxury of friends and family._

_Act._

_Lie._

_Cheat._

_Don't depend on anyone but **yourself.**_

~~~~~ _**  
**_

Upon coming across a familiar set of large oak doors, the girl stopped in her tracks, an overwhelming sensation now pulling her towards them.

"It's way after hours... no-one's around..." Katsuna mumbled to herself, edging closer to the doors.

_It wouldn't hurt to have a quick look around._

Katsuna pushed the doors open gradually, stepping foot in the one place she felt most comfortable in. 

The Kunugigaoka junior high official library.

It was a spacious peaceful area filled with countless copies of various books across all genres, stacked high on their bookshelves. 

Back when Katsuna was in A Class, she'd come here as often as she could to build up her extensive knowledge across all subjects. 

Learning and studying was all she'd ever done since she was a little girl. 

A sense of comfort and tranquillity came with ease whenever she would get lost in the experience of a great book; like being transported to an entire different world. 

_"If only,"_ Katsuna hummed to herself dismissively, her legs automatically striding towards the fiction section. 

She scanned across one bookshelf in particular, her eyes wide with anticipation. 

_Where are you... ah there!_

Her hand reached towards a black covered book with shiny silver cursive writing. Katsuna traced the engraved font with her finger, the shapes having grown accustomed in her memory. 

_Haraba Hizumi's greatest work, Sanctuary._

The story revolves around the main female protagonist, Aikino Chiniko, who had been separated from her family during a violent raid in her village under the orders of the tyrannical emperor. 

Aikino sets herself on a journey, filled with danger at every turn, to become stronger in hopes that one day, she'll end the emperor's bloodthirsty reign and once again reunite with her family. 

Katsuna had read this particular book more times than she could count. She resonated deeply with protagonist's feelings of loss as her family was taken away and envied the character's sense of strength as she continues to push through each problem that she was faced with. 

"I wonder what Aikino would do if she was in my shoes.." Katsuna wondered briefly, settling down in the desk chair. 

**"What are you doing?"**

Katsuna jumped up in fright, spinning round to face a strawberry blonde scowl. Upon recognition, she exhaled profoundly, soothing her pacing heartbeat. 

"You scared the crap out of me Asano," Katsuna grumbled accusingly, slotting the book back on the shelf. 

"You know full well that _E Class_ students are not permitted here," Asano continued, blatantly ignoring her complaint. 

"Yeah yeah, I'm leaving, don't get all high and mighty on me," Katsuna waved him off scornfully, traipsing past the student council president, "How did you know I was here anyway?"

"You stalking me now cuz' I thought I'd told you to stay away from me?"

~~~~~ 

**_"Oh don't give me that shit," the boy shot, raising his voice, "My father's involved in this right? Does he have some sort of dirt on you that made you get sent there? But it still doesn't make sense... I can't figure it out!"_ **

**_"Well I've got one for you!" Katsuna countered aggressively, "Why do you care so much?!"_ **

**_"Because I... I l-" Asano stammered, the words unable to come out._ **

**_"Oh spit it out!" the girl cried, gesturing her arms into the air._ **

**_"Because," the boy started, his eyes screaming in desperation before sighing, the passion leaving his eyes, "Because I know my dad's hiding something and I need to get some sort of upper hand on him."_ **

**_"So this is all because you have some major daddy issues?" Katsuna scowled._ **

**_"I don't have dadd-"_ **

**_"Yeah whatever, I don't have time for this," the girl seethed, "Just leave me alone!"_ **

**_"What do you mea-"_ **

**_"Exactly what I said," Katsuna sighed, "Leave me alone Asano."_ **

**_She stormed off, the pounding of her chest deafening her ears._ **

~~~~~ 

"The automatic lights," Asano stated plainly, pointing up as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. 

_"Oh."_

_I guess that would do it._

"Don't go priding yourself over me, I'm not going to spend my time chasing after you," Asano mumbled in a dark tone.

"If that's true, then why are you following me?" Katsuna commented nonchalantly, side glancing the boy as he kept his pace beside her. 

"Don't get the wrong idea," Asano retorted defensively, turning his face away from her prying eyes, "You just so happen to be going in the same direction as me."

"Whatever," Katsuna sighed, shrugging her shoulders sightly. 

The pair continued to walk down the hallways in heavy silence until they finally reached the main campus school exit.

_She must have come from Father's office... that's the only possible reason why she'd be here._

_Dammit... what the hell did they talk about?!_

He bit back his prying questions, knowing that confrontation was just doing to make things worse between them. 

Just then, he caught sight of something that would only mean trouble. 

_"Akabane?"_

Katsuna peered up towards Asano as he spoke, in surprise; his line of sight lost on the redhead leaning against the lamppost. 

_Why's **he** here?_

"Am I _interrupting_ something?" Karma called provocatively, a tight smile playing on his lips. 

"What are you doing here?" Asano glowered, screwing up his eyes as the redhead sauntered towards the pair. 

_"Relax~"_ Karma ridiculed, placing his arms behind his head causally, "You're just as snappy as ever, bet Daddy's impressed with that." 

"Maybe you should focus more on your studies and less on mouthing off," Asano sneered, finding the redhead's behaviour nothing short of intolerable. 

_"Third place."_

Karma bit back the urge to throttle the boy, knowing better than to pick a fight with the principal's son. 

He'd be out of Kunugigaoka in no time, losing his one and only shot at killing an actual teacher. 

"I really do hate condescending pricks like you," Karma dramatically sighed, "But alas, you're a lost cause."

"You still haven't answered my question," Asano scoffed, choosing to ignore the boy's previous remark. 

"Just admiring the view," the redhead responded bluntly, his mercury eyes hesitantly falling onto Katsuna who had kept quiet during the encounter. 

_"But now you're here, I've lost my taste."_

Asano caught sight of the redhead's nervous gaze, reading the room instinctively. 

Childishly, he stepped closer to the girl, narrowing his eyes daringly at the crimson haired boy.

_**Back off.** _

Karma hurled a threatening look at Asano, bearing his teeth menacingly. 

_**Try me.** _

Asano raised his eyebrows before smirking, scheming a plan within his cunning mind. 

_Thing's are about to get interesting indeed._

Karma glanced back to Katsuna, the raven haired girl diligently adverting her eyes to the ground to avoid him. 

The redhead clenched his jaw in irritation before whipping his head to the side, unable to continue this battle of wills. 

This girl was changing him. 

He had so many overflowing emotions he wasn't familiar with distracting him at every second...

If he wasn't careful..

_He could lose himself completely._

_"Screw this.."_ Karma spat under his breath, shoving his hands in his pockets as he spun around on his foot to start prowl away. 

"Bring your A game to finals," Asano goaded, staring at the back of the crimson head as he sauntered away, "I heard that E Class made a bet with Class 3-A, I'm expecting a battle to the death." 

_A bet huh?_

A cynical grin spread on the redhead's face. 

_**I'll beat the guy at his own game without even trying.** _

~~~~~ _ **  
**_

Asano waited until the crimson boy was out of sight, before facing the raven haired girl beside him.

_He needed to know.. where he stood._

**"Do you have feelings for Akabane?"**

_Feelings for.._

_Karma?_ **  
**

Katsuna shot him a startled expression, the burning heat rising to her cheeks almost immediately. 

"O-OF COURSE NOT!" she declared obtrusively, confusion settling in swiftly after, "Why would you even- _mmm!"_

Asano stole her breath with his, pressing his lips against her unresponsive ones, attempting to mould them together with his one sided movements. Katsuna's body became rigid in his unwelcomed embrace, every sense on her skin screaming no. Her eyes were wide, staring in bewilderment as his closed ones. 

Everything about this was... **_wrong._**

The kiss ended a few moments after it began. 

The pair shared a few shallow breaths as their lips parted. Asano stepped back, his violet eyes too clouded with his possessive controlling nature to see the appalled look within Katsunas'. 

"You are returning to me after finals, I'll use the bet to assure that," he maintained a solemn expression, tucking a strand of her black hair behind her ear before leaning in close.

_**"And now I've taken your first kiss, you're all mine."** _

~~~~~ _  
_

"So, what's this about a bet?"

Nagisa turned back in his seat to face his raven haired friend with a look of bafflement sketched across his features. 

"How did you even..?" the blue haired boy breathed. 

"Word get's around," Katsuna replied casually, playing off the question flawlessly. 

_As if I can say I heard the student council president mention it._

She could feel the hot gaze from the redhead but chose to dismiss it as she focused on Nagisa's explanation. 

"Well.. it was actually the Big Five who challenged us first with the idea." 

_Of course.._

_Kunugigaoka's finest students who scored the highest marks in each of the five major subjects..._

_The Big Five._

**Teppei Araki:** Head of the school's Broadcasting Club who also scored third on this year's midterms

 **Ren Sakakibara:** TheStudent Council's secretary, playboy and ace in Poetry

 **Natsuhiko Koyama:** He's not the President of the Biology Club for nothing

 **Tomoya Seo:** The Student Assembly Chairman with exceptional scores in English

_And lastly,_

**Gakushu Asano:** Student Council President, the top student of the school, and the only son of the principal

_They had never accepted me in to their group for the simple fact that I was female even though I was the number two student in the school._

_But as if I'd complain about that._

"The deal was, who ever scores lower on finals does whatever the other class says," Nagisa concluded, returning Katsuna's attention away from her thoughts. 

"We're all pretty fired up about it!" Kaede chirped, having overheard the conversation, "Well all of us except for you know who." 

Katsuna followed their line of sight, turning herself around to face the now sleeping redhead in the corner of the classroom. 

~~~~~

**_"Bring your A game to finals."_ **

**_"I'm expecting a battle to the death."  
_ **

~~~~~

_I guess he's pretty confident in himself if he's slacking off..._

Katsuna continued to watched the redhead from afar, observing his casual collected manner in which he held himself. His lazy facade concealed his true sadistic nature and if you weren't careful, the boy could turn in a blink of an eye. 

~~~~~ _  
_

**_"Do you have feelings for Akabane?"_ **

~~~~~ ** _  
_**

_No._

_I'm just..._

Katsuna studied the soft movements of his chest as he breathed in and out. 

_**Curious.** _

"Okay Class, I have an announcement that I'm sure will get your blood pumping with excitement!" 

Koro-sensei's declaration broke Katsuna's train of thought, making the raven haired girl focus her attention on the front of the class. 

"What's up Sir?" Nagisa responded, completely enthralled. 

"Well you see," Koro-sensei began, his grin plastered wide on his face, "As it's finals, I've decided to add place my tentacles on the line for the sake of motivation!"

_Huh?_

"What do you mean?" Kaede wondered with inquiring eyes. 

"Let's say, those of you who get the highest scores on your finals and/or rank first in each individual subject have the right to cut off exactly 1 of my tentacles!"

"Wait, seriously!?" Rio exclaimed, "So if each tentacle diminishes 10% of his overall agility..." 

"....and an average of 5 of us score top marks.." Sugino grinned eagerly. 

"That's 50% right?" Kataoka finished, smiling up at her teacher. 

"Right!" Koro-sensei beamed, "So let's get cracking boys and girls!" 

"Final's await us!"

~~~~~ _  
_

**_"You are returning to me after finals, I'll use the bet to assure that."_ ** _  
_

~~~~~ ** _  
_**

_If that's his plan.. then I doubt the principal will interfere with E Class..._

_The responsibility lies within his son's methods this time._

_He'll take the blow for it._

~~~~~ _  
_

_**"And now I've taken your first kiss, you're all mine."** _ _  
_

~~~~~ _ **  
**_

_As if I'd let someone like you chain me down._

_You don't get to force your emotions onto me._

_I'm coming for you Asano._

_**Watch your back.** _


	39. Finals

**This chapter touches a bit on the subject of depression so please read with caution.**

~~~~~ **  
**

_"The midterms had nothing on these!"_

The time had come for the students at Kunugigaoka to take their much anticipated finals. 

Everything Koro-sensei had taught them, everything they've had to cram into their memory space... 

It all came down to these 2 days of placing it all on the line for the sake of their futures.

The finals might as well be a full on war with their lives on the line. 

Up first: **English**

Students from around them were being slaughtered by the minute, the monstrous questions stomping on their scattered bodies mercilessly.

Tomoya Seo grit his teeth in sick pleasure, standing only 2 feet away from the ravaging beast, the pencil in his grip acting as a war hammer ready for a massacre.

"Ain't you precious," he sneered, strolling towards the brute with his nose in the air, "The E Class twits are just mere appetisers, getting ready for a main course!" 

He swung his weapon into the monster's stomach but somehow.. it only slightly winded it. 

"What?!" Seo shrieked in disbelief as he watched Rio defeat the opponent with a blow to the head, "B-But that was a quote from Hook Fin!" 

"That's child's play compared to The Catcher in the Rye," Rio chuckled, taunting the Big Five's ace in English, "I expected more of a fight against you." 

"How was I supposed to know that?!" Seo scowled in distaste as the blonde flipped her hair, "The teacher only mentioned it in passing!"

"Well that's such a shame," Rio patronised sarcastically, charging towards her next target.

"Maybe I'll see you around, _if you're not dead by the end."_

~~~~~ 

**Science**

"Bring it on!" Natsuhiko Koyama thundered, cracking his whip against the armoured giant, "I've memorised everything from the Linnaen taxonomy dominant classification system to the ionisation potential of an atom." 

"YOU CAN'T DEFEAT- _HUH?!"_

His weapon didn't even falter the stampeding iron mountain as it hurtled it's sword towards the Biology club president. 

"What the hell!" he screamed in desperation, barely dodging the cold-blooded attack. 

"It doesn't matter if you have retained everything in your mind," a subdued voice spoke up, causing Koyama to look in it's direction. 

Okuda was comfortably perched on the shoulder of the giants, the pair sharing bright smiles as they wandered around the battleground like it was a walk in the park. 

"What they are looking for is for you to come up with your own solutions," she explained softly, caressing her newly acquainted friend gently, "Make your own discoveries!" 

Koyama stared at the duo as they passed him by without a care in the world, his mouth gaped open in utter perplexity. 

_"You have **got** to be kidding me!"   
_

~~~~~ 

**Social Studies**

"This test.. it's inhuman!" Teppei Araki blurted, crawling along the ground in an attempt to escape the relentless shooting of the tank-like demon. 

"No-one in their right mind would know all the answers to these African development questions!" 

"Well actually," Isogai interjected, slicing the ruthless machine in two with his elongated sword flawlessly, "I just so happen to know." 

"Seriously?!" Araki ogled the boy's movements. 

"I actually managed to visit recently," Isogai smiled, reflecting on his one-on-one educational trip with Koro-sensei, "Guess it actually being on the test was pure coincidence!" 

_"There is_ _**no way** this is happening right now_ _!!"_

~~~~~ 

**Japanese**

"The Child is father of the Man; And I could wish my days to be," Kanzaki recited, elegantly carving the air around her with her spartan, "Bound each to each by natural piety."

The spell turned into a thousand invisible blades which could only be seen when reflected in the sun's light. They shot towards the samurai devil, slashing her opponent so finely that in a split second, the target was nothing but ashes on the ground below. 

"Splendid translation my dear," Ren Sakakibara sang, gaining Kanzaki's attention. 

_"However, it's nothing compared to the A grade poetry of Robert Frost!"_

~~~~~ 

And lastly.. 

**Math**

_It's time._

Katsuna stared blankly at the exam room door, clutching her pencil case anxiously. 

She'd never once beaten Asano in his best subject. 

_He is something else entirely.....what if he wins the bet._

_What if I get sent back to Class 3-A._

_The principal will have to stop our deal._

_No._

_I can do it._ _  
_

_I have to._

She shook her head rid of doubt, summoning the courage to propel herself towards the door. Lifting her head high, she entered the room, silently making her way to her designated seat.

For some reason, her eyes immediately drifted to the redhead sitting two seats to her left side. 

His smug smirk coated his facial features as he leaned back in his chair carelessly. 

"No doubt he's thinking of him too," Katsuna muttered under the breath, remembering the boy's words from the other day. 

~~~~~ 

**_"Bring your A game to finals."_ **

**_"I'm expecting a battle to the death."_ **

~~~~~ 

_Actually, now that I think about it.. why was Karma even there?_

**"Test is starting in 1 minute!"**

_It doesn't matter right now._

_Focus on the present._

Katsuna looked down at the paper, her calculating vision analysing the rampaging creatures as the gates before her opened up into the battle ground. 

To her left was Asano, carrying a deadly brandistock against his chest. The strawberry blonde, side eyed Katsuna, sending her a look that made her skin crawl. 

_"Get ready Akabane, you're dead meat."_

To her right was Karma, a signature sneer playing on his lips as he threw his sickle up in the air, catching it each time on it's grip. 

_"How cute, but I'll sweep the floor with you without even trying."_

Katsuna stared at her feet, tightening the hold on her katar.

_Deep breath in._

_Deep breath out._

_Here we go._ _  
_

**"Test Begin!"**

~~~~~ 

"Okay class," Koro-sensei announced to the voiceless classroom, "The finals test scores are in." 

Each student stared at the brown envelopes in their teacher's tentacles, some biting their nails in anticipation, others tightening their fists to control their rising heartbeat. 

Everything they've worked so hard for up until now has finally reached it's peak. 

"First up, English," Koro-sensei revealed, unbinding the seal at a painstakingly slow pace.

"First in E-Class.... and in the entire grade,"the octopus twinkled, holding the papers high in celebration, "Ladies and gentleman, it's Rio Nakamura!" 

The class erupted in delight, clapping for their fellow English ace and shouting their congratulations from all directions. 

"I wouldn't expect anything less from myself," Rio smirked, flipping her hair casually as she sauntered towards the front of the class to collect her paper, "What I wouldn't get to see that Seo jerk-off's face!"

"As promised, that's one tentacle reserved for you," Koro-sensei congratulated, "Let's move on to Japanese."

"First in E-Class.... It's Yukiko Kanzaki!"

"Yay!" Kanzaki cheered lightly, standing from her seat "I guess Asano got first in the entire year though." 

"That he did, but you definitely gave him a run for his money," Koro-sensei replied, handing the class idol her paper. 

"Now for Social Studies, first in E class goes to Yuma Isogai!" the octopus continued, "As for first in the entire grade..."

"It's E Class's student rep, Yuma Isogai!" 

"Hell Yes!" the boy shot up from his seat, punching the air in celebration as he was applauded with the cheers of his fellow classmates. 

"For Science.... boys and girls, it's Manami Okuda!" Koro-sensei whooped, "And my dear, you're also first in the grade!" 

"That's incredible, well done!" Sosuke beamed, shooting the quite girl a wide grin. 

"That's 3 to 1, we won against Class A guys!" Fuwa hollered, only adding to the excitement of the classroom. 

"We still have maths to go," Koro-sensei cackled, his eyes scanning the contents of the results paper. 

_"First in Class 3-E is awarded to...."_

~~~~~ 

It was currently lunchtime at Kunugigaoka and the students of Class 3-E had scattered around their campus grounds to discuss their grades. 

Katsuna had managed to snag an isolated spot on the grass bank next to the wooden building with her test papers on hand. 

"Asano beat me again huh.." she sighed, laying back on the earth beneath her.

She held her test papers high above her head, flipping through her scores in each of the subjects.

English - 99

Japanese - 98

Social Studies - 97

Science - 96

Math - 99

"Dammit!" she uttered, slamming the test papers to the ground beside her in frustration.

Katsuna exhaled, peering up at the clear blue sky above her as she thought to herself.

_At least I still managed to keep my number 2 spot in overall scores._

She lifted a hand into the sky, watching as the sunlight shone through the cracks of her fingers. _  
_

_I wasn't expecting the others to pull through like that..._

_I can't believe we won the bet._

_Even Asano will feel that blow.. he's probably the laughing stock of the school right now._

Resting the back of her hand on her face, Katsuna hid the subtle smile that surfaced on her lips.

_I guess, everything worked out.. for now._

_**\--- Please read with caution --** _

_"Oh ho~_ well hello there!" a peppy voice spoke up, throwing a wrench into the girl's alone time. 

"Koro-sensei?" Katsuna replied in a questioning tone, sitting up to face to yellow octopus, "Aren't you supposed to be out exploring the world or whatever you get up to at this time?"

"As it's results day, I thought I'd have a little talk with everyone just to see how things are going," Koro-sensei explained, taking a seat beside the raven head.

"Ah~," Katsuna responded, glancing back at her papers, "Well I guess I'm good, ya know, same old second place and all."

"I see.." the octopus answered, gazing over her contempt expression before exhaling deeply. 

"Look, as a teacher, I'm concerned about you." 

_Huh?_

"As you know, I keep a close eye on all my students," he continued, selecting his word's carefully, "Not just academically but physically and mentally."

"Katsuna.. I've been observing you especially and it's my personal belief that you may be suffering from... depression." 

Katsuna stayed silent, afraid that her words might betray her. 

_Depression?_

"As you're teacher, I recommend scheduling a doctor's appointment, however something like that isn't easy."

_Doctors?_

"Whenever you feel ready, I'll help you."

"Look, there's much I don't know about your situation, much I hope that one day you'll feel comfortable telling me."

_My situation?_

_Wait.. but.. how much does he know already?_

_If he finds out.. everything will be over._

_I still need more time._

**"Katsuna, breathe."**

The statement caught her attention mid-panic, flicking her trembling eyes to meet her teacher's stable gaze.

The emotion filling his stare somehow anchored the student down as Koro-sensei took a few moments to patiently wait for her sharp breathing to settle. 

"I won't do anything that makes you uncomfortable, this is between me and you." 

**"Sometimes a listening ear is all a person needs."**

Katsuna bit back the tears that threatened to spill, her heart feeling as if it's being squeezed tightly.

His agonising words resonated deep within her, as if he'd reached a tenderly loving tentacle through the endless walls she'd built inside, resting it gently on the core of the pent up emotions she'd kept to herself. 

For Katsuna, Koro-sensei's affection went past the average teacher's care over their students. 

It was the same feeling she would receive from her mother as child. 

And that's what hurt the most. 

**_~~~~~ We're back! xx_ ** **_~~~~~_ **

"I thought you'd be here."

The redhead turned his head to the direction of the voice, appearing uninterested as a certain raven haired girl wandered towards him. 

"What do you want?" he responded coldly, returning his focus back on the cliff side view.

Katsuna took a seat beside him, letting her legs dangle over the edge. She side-glanced the scrunched up pieces of paper next to the redhead, gathering the situation in her head. 

"Hey Karma, face me for a sec."

The boy rotated his head reluctantly and was just about to reply with a snarky comment when in a blink of an eye, Katsuna's hand slapped his cheek hard, sending his face to the side from the sheer force.

"Fuck!" he yelled, clutching his cheek with a hand, "What the hell was that for?!"

"For losing against that strawberry blond jackass!" Katsuna scolded, "And for sulking about it like a baby!"

"You fucking lost against him as well, so where's your fucking slap?!" Karma retorted, turning his eyes into slits.

"I don't get one because it's frowned upon that a man hits a women," she replied childishly, folding her arms. 

"THE HELL I CAN'T!" the redhead countered, slapping the girl before she could defend herself. 

"Y-you ASSHOLE!"

"WELL THAT'S KARMA!"

"YOU DID NOT JUST MAKE A PUN IN THE MIDDLE OF THIS ARGUMENT!"

"WHAT IF I DID?!"

Katsuna puffed out her cheeks in aggravation against the boy beside her, crossing her arms around her stomach in an attempt to restrain herself from choking him. 

After a while the pair finally settled back down, both of them now staring towards the endless forest landscape. 

"Okay look.. I'm sorry about the whole principal situation," Karma apologised, breaking the silence, "I meant to tell you the other day, but that scumbag was there." 

"I was actually wondering about why you showed up," Katsuna answered, resting her head on her bent arm, "It's fine, it's just really hard to talk about."

"That's kinda why I'm here anyway," she continued, thinking back to the early portions of lunch, "Koro-sensei encouraged me to do something about this, he's too sharp for his own good sometimes."

"I don't know why I care so much in all honesty," Karma sighed, laying back on the ground, "It just seems to be always in the back of my mind, like a itch I can't scratch."

"Who knew the almighty sarcastic Karma Akabane had such a softy side," Katsuna chuckled, glancing down on the boy who had now hidden his face from her prying eyes, "Man, you must have some sort of bipolar shit going on."

"I can still kick your ass if that's what you're getting at," the redhead seethed in response, only encouraging her laugh. 

"Yeah yeah..whatever," Katsuna dismissed, ignoring the boy's halfhearted threat. 

Her eyes fell onto her lap, her mood steadily becoming more serious. 

"Look Karma.. I'm not a good person," she began, her voice now sounding distant, "And somehow I feel like it's okay to tell you that."

Karma stayed in his position, listening intently on the raven-head's words.

"The principal isn't blackmailing me, he's providing me with something that I need."

"In return, I do things to support his cause... because without him.."

"....I-I don't know if I would be able to... 

"...Just..."

No matter how hard she tried, the words kept getting caught in her throat as if they were impossible to voice. 

**"Everything will be okay."**

Katsuna flickered her eyes back down towards the redhead, catching his heavy gaze in an instant. 

"Now I understand why you said I'd be useless," Karma continued, his compelling voice making it hard for the girl to focus her attention elsewhere.

"Though, _you're wrong."_

_Huh?_

"Anyway, let's go, lunch is nearly over." 

_Wait.. what?!_

The redhead jumped to his feet, dusting off the pieces of dirt that had marked his trousers. 

"Y-you're leaving it like _that?!"_

"Yeah, so what?" Karma exhaled, folding his arms behind his head.

"Come on, I don't have all day to wait for your _fat ass."_

 _"Excuse me?!"_ Katsuna shrieked, clambering to her feet in a rush, "What the hell do you mean by fat ass huh?"

"Exactly what I said," Karma whistled, barely dodging the oncoming kick to his crotch as he ran off into the woods to escape.

"Oi, come back here Akabane!" Katsuna screeched, pacing full speed after the redhead, "You're going to lose all your future children by this foot right here!" 

"You'll have to catch me first!" the crimson haired boy taunted, flipping off the girl behind him. 

_**You're wrong because I'll protect you from the one you fear most.** _


	40. Unfinished Business

At Kunugigaoka, the last day of the summer term is marked with a whole school assembly where even Class 3-E is permitted to join on the main campus. 

However, for the first time, the students were eager to line up beside the other classes, the results for their finals boosting their egos tremendously. 

"Man, I can't wait to see the looks on their faces," Rio jeered, rubbing her hands together mischievously. 

"I still can't believe Teresaka's group managed to ace Home Ec," Nagisa replied enthusiastically, "That's 7 tentacles in total!"

"That's right, aren't I just so awesome!" Terasaka interjected, his grin full of pride.

"I think it's gone to his head a little," Kaede whispered, the blue haired boy nodding in agreement. 

"Hey, isn't that Asano and the big five?!" Fuwa pointed to the entrance of the assembly building where the strawberry blond could be seen, his sheepish cronies accompanying him from behind. 

Katsuna followed the E Class students as they made their way towards their defeated opponents, holding themselves with dignity. 

"I don't have time for your intolerant behaviour right now," Asano snapped, attempting to walk pass the students as they crowded in front of him. 

"I don't think so," Isogai responded, stepping up against the principal's son, "I believe we had a bet, and you guys lost." 

Asano tsked, folding his arms tightly in irritation from the humiliating reminder. 

"Our demand was sent via email, I'm sure you've received it already." 

"If that's all, I have an assembly to get to," Asano grumbled, bitterly accepting the defeat.

_Heads will roll for this atrocity._

_I **will** deliver Class E's demise personally. _

Upon passing the group, the boy caught sight of a pair of golden-green eyes hiding in the back among her peers, a repulsive smirk coating his features.

He took advantage of the vulnerability in her adverted gaze, a sick sense of empowerment flooding his body like venom. 

Though it was only short lasted as the strawberry blond flickered his eyes towards the stone cold stare of a certain redhead standing just behind Katsuna. 

Asano gritted his teeth before reluctantly turning his head to the front, knowing that making a scene now would only cause in further embarrassment against his representation as being the untouchable top student. 

Katsuna eyed her shaking hands, frustrated at herself for not being able to meet the knife like violet leer of her rival. 

No matter what situations she could come up with in her head of self-assured confidence, whenever it really came down to reality.. 

Asano's sudden forcefulness that day had left her shaken like a leaf. 

"I bet that guy's into some _freaky ass_ kinks." 

_"What?"_ Katsuna spat out a disbelieving chuckle, flipping her head round to face the redhead.

"Just think about it, those daddy issues have gotta go somewhere haven't they?"" Karma contemplated, shrugging causally.

"Yeah, I see that actually," Katsuna replied, smiling in agreement to the somewhat strange remark, "What are you doing here anyway, don't you hate assemblies?" 

"Sure, but if I didn't turn up, it'd seem like I was running away," the redhead huffed, wandering to the back of the line beside Katsuna, "And that would puncture my reputation." 

"Your _reputation?"_ Katsuna scoffed, air quoting with her fingers, "What, are you supposed to be the cliche bad boy who no-one messes with because I ain't buying that bullshit."

"Ahh and you're so not playing the girl who is _not like other girls,"_ Karma retorted sarcastically in response, mimicking the finger air quoting. 

"Shit, now you say that, that line was literally something they'd say," Katsuna regarded, facepalming herself in horror of her previous misused words.

"Well aren't you a waste of two billion years of evolution," the redhead snickered, blatantly ignoring the girl's sharp glare. 

Just before the raven head was about to reply with a comeback, the announcer's voice for the assembly broadcasted through the building, silencing the scattered muffles of voices. 

~~~~~ 

_**"Make sure to keep up with your studies over summer break!"** _

_**"Erm.. you don't want to end up in er.. E Class.. um.."** _

The usual digs at the oppressed class that they'd usually receive from assembly weren't nearly as effective as in recent times. 

This time, it was Class 3-E who were standing tall above the rest of their peers, a fierce sense of pride fuelling their self-confidence. 

And it was all thanks to the target they call teacher.

_Koro-sensei._

~~~~~ 

After the conclusion of the assembly, the students of Class 3-E traipsed back up the mountain in high spirits, chatting frantically about their plans for over summer break.

The hot topic on their tongues was their well deserved prize for winning the bet against A Class. 

"So, we're all in agreement to take our whole class assassination attempt to the summer camp!" Isogai announced, leading the group up the path. 

"A whole 3 days at the Okinawa island resort!" Hinano squealed, squishing her face up in excitement. 

"Don't even get me started," Kaede beamed, hardly containing her exhilaration for the upcoming event. 

"Seems everyone's pretty perky about the trip," Katsuna commented, observing the smiles on her classmates faces. 

"And you're not?" Karma replied questionably, folding his arms behind his head.

"I just got this funny feeling that I can't shake," Katsuna sighed, peering up at the sky above.

_Jeez, I'm such a downer._

_It's summer break._

_I should look forward to it._

**"I won't let anything happen to you..."**

_Huh?!_

Katsuna whipped her head to the boy in surprise, her cheeks beetroot red.

_Did I hear that right?_

".... but then again, _that requires a lot of effort that I just don't have."_ the redhead finished, holding back laughter as he watched her face turn from startlement to annoyance as the realisation settled in. 

_"Awwee ish wittle Katsuna mad... oh wha a sad wittle girl."_

_Fucking Akabane._

_He actually got me._

"Your dick belongs in your pants, not your personality," Katsuna scowled, squinting her eyes are the crimson head who was now in hysterics.

_"That's if you have one by the time I'm finished with you."_

"Is it just me or is the atmosphere getting _violent?"_ Karma teased, repetitively poking the pissed raven head beside him tauntingly.

"I swear to the heavens above, if you touch me once more, I'll rip that finger off your hand."

...

.....

.......

_Poke._

"That's it, you're **dead** Akabane."

"I'd like to see you try!"

~~~~~ 

With that, Kunugigaoka's summer term had come to a end with summer break just around the corner. 

However, their awarded vacation may have a little more in store for them than they had initially bargained for. 


	41. Okinawa, here we come!

Its finally the much anticipated Summer Vacation for the students at Kunugigaoka Junior High school!

3 whole months of complete freedom from the pressure of school work.. or so E Class thought.

"Tell me again why I'm being dragged up this god forsaken mountain on the weekend...." Kaede groaned, her body limp as Rio lugged her by the arms.

"Just because it's summer break, doesn't mean that we can slack off with killing the octopus," the blonde huffed, beads of sweat running down her forehead.

"Jeez, when did you become so _heavy?"_

"WHAT ARE YOU TRYING TO SAY?!"

Class 3-E had organised a group meet up at the old wooden campus in order to begin training for their group assassination attempt.

They had decided to incorporate the advantage of shooting 7 tentacles off of Koro-sensei into their plan, to obtain the most successful outcome they could manage.

70% of his overall power will diminish once the deed is done, resulting in a huge disadvantage for their oversized yellow teacher.

" _Ughhhhh~_ we're _finally_ here!" Rio cried out, lumping the girl in her hold to the ground roughly.

" _Gee~_ cheers for the soft landing," Kaede muttered sarcastically, rubbing her sore rear-end.

"There you guys are!" Nagisa called, rushing towards the pair like a little kid.

"Glad you could make it!

"It's not a show without the main star!" Rio proclaimed, swishing her hair behind her shoulders majestically.

 _"Main star my ass,"_ Kaede murmured under the breath, earning a side glare from the blonde in front, "Where is everyone anyway?"

"Just around the corner," Nagisa answered, leading them to the towards the outdoor training area used for their physical education lessons with Karasuma.

"Whoa, this place looks like a army boot camp!" Rio declared, scanning the area in wonder.

A makeshift shooting range was located in one corner of the flat ground with cut outs of Koro-sensei's face plastered on the targets. Chiba and Hayami seemed to be dominating the session, with the others lacking behind.

Across the field was a hand to hand combat section with the students pairing up and practising against each other to improve their strength.

In another area was Karasuma, demonstrating to a group of students some of his key knife movements he'd used in his previous military days.

Lastly, there was a section accommodated by a few students developing their trap building abilities, with Sumire talking through each step as they went.

"Okano has taken some of the girls out on an agility course round the mountain terrain," Nagisa explained, pointing to the forest area, "So there's that as well."

"This is crazy cool," Kaede giggled, her earlier laziness leaving no traces.

"Wait, who's that guy?" Rio commented, her finger leading to a rough faced man dressed in a black trench coat.

"Ah, that's Lovro-sensei," Nagisa expressed, following the blonde's line of sight, "He's been hired on as a specialist instructor for the training session."

"According to Karasuma-sensei, he's an ex professional assassin.. he was the one who taught Professor Bitch!"

"Damn.." Rio stared, analysing the stoic expression on the man's face.

He was currently hovering around the shooting range district, directing the students on their aim and helping them find their own shooting style they find comfortable in.

"Seems like the guy knows what he's doing."

"Indeed," Nagisa hummed, nodding his head in response, "Anyway, I'm going to head back."

"Pick which ever station you feel would benefit you the most!"

~~~~~

_Sight._

_1_

_Breathe._

_2_

_Taste._

_3_

_Breathe._

_4_

_Smell._

_5_

_Breathe._

_6_

_Sound._

_7_

_Breathe._

_8_

_Touch._

_9_

_Breathe._

_10_

**_Now._ **

Katsuna lunged forward at incomprehensible speed, her calculating eyes trained on the unmoving target before her. Her feet barely skidded the ground beneath them, the refreshing wind blasting into her facial features as if she'd placed her head out the window of a car.

2 feet before impact, Katsuna leaped into the air from the force of one foot, before graciously twirling herself 180 degrees in midair and slamming her leg down vertically onto the top of her opponent's head.

The dummy exploded on impact.

Chunks of wood ricocheted in multiple directions, scattering across the ground.

All that was left was a pile of twigs.

Katsuna managed to distance herself from her target at the last second, jumping a few feet away to allow herself to take a breather.

"I'm not as out of breath as last time which is a good sign.." she mumbled to herself, slowing the pace of her oxygen intake, "Still.. I need to get better."

The sound of rhythmical clapping interrupted the ravenhead's thought process, making the girl turn around to face a man with slight grin sweeping his ragged features.

"Impressive," Lovro complimented, crossing his arms as he scanned the student before him from head to toe.

"Centralisation is a skill not many people can acquire in such short amount of time," he continued, "However you seem to have not only managed to get a grasp on the concept, but also interpreted it into your own strengths, how peculiar."

"There's still no chance I can use it in a one on one battle just yet," Katsuna sighed, scratching the back of her head in a frustrated manner, "I was lucky with Takaoka because he had let his guard down completely."

"I see," Lovro muttered, studying the student.

_This one.. may just have the potential.._

"I have a proposition," he stated, earning him a gaze filled with curiosity.

"I will show you a technique that works side by side with Centralisation."

_A skill alongside Centralisation?_

"When I had first set my eyes on the assassin's I've trained," Lovro remarked, "I had a gut feeling about each and everyone of them."

_"I knew they'd grow up to be exceptional."_

Lovro was now staring at Katsuna with intensity, a glint of certainty within his darkened features. 

_"I have the same gut feeling when observing you, the aura of a natural born killer."_

She widen her eyes at the words, a whirlwind of emotions blowing up inside of her as the man extended his hand.

**"Train under me and become a professional assassin."**

~~~~~

Katsuna smiled softly, stretching out her bare hands like a star-fish to feel the ocean breeze wrap around them. 

It was the second time she'd ever been this close to the sea; the salty taste of air on her tongue bringing back memories of the trip to Hawaii.

"Seems like ages ago.." Katsuna mumbled under her breath, settling her head on her arms as she leaned on the edge of the boat.

"Oi Klutzuna, look this way for a sec," Karma called from behind the girl.

Katsuna let out a dramatic sigh, unable to escape the redhead's clutches for more than 5 minutes.

"Do you mind not talking to me, I'm busy breath- _PFFFFF!!!"_

Karma had squeezed down on the water bottle in his grip, making the cool liquid shoot out and splash her directly in the face.

The devilish redhead dropped down in hysterics, leaving Katsuna gasping in shock and dripping wet.

"Y-You ASSHOLE!" she fumed, attempting to dry herself with the bottom half of her t-shirt.

"WHAT THE _HELL_ IS WRONG WITH YOU?!"

Karma just laughed in response, wiping the tears that had begun to form beneath his eyelids.

"You need to learn to loosen up," he chuckled, sitting up from his position, "It's summer after-PFFFFF!"

"That's what you get, you jackass!" Katsuna sneered, holding onto her empty water bottle.

"Touché," Karma grumbled, shaking his sopping crimson hair like a dog before standing up beside the raven head.

"Huh, we're nearly there."

Katsuna drifted her eyes across the ocean, towards their designated destination.

_Woah._

The photographic island seemed as if was painted with different shades of striking green complimented with the grey rocky cliff sides that provided it's magnificent structure.

_3 whole days at the Okinawa resort..._

_Nothing can go wrong on a paradisaical place like this.._ **_right?_ **


	42. Prime Time

_"Welcome to the Okinawa Resort!"_

_"From all the staff here, we hope that your stay is enjoyable."_

"Damn, I feel like a celebrity!" Mimura grinned, lifting his on-the-house tropical juice into the air. 

"You said it!" Kimura cheered, clanking his cup with his orange haired friend. 

Upon arriving at the hotel, the students couldn't have settled down their belongings quicker, before racing outside to relish themselves in the scorching sun. 

"I vote we have some fun before doing the deed," Muramatsu proclaimed, pointing to the air gliders soaring in the sky. 

"Whatcha think about us splitting off into groups Koro-sensei?" Yoshida suggested, turning to his teacher.

The octopus, for once, had dressed for the occasion, wearing a pair of pink heart-shaped sunglasses and a straw hat. 

"A splendid idea!" Koro-sensei beamed, clueless of the his classes' hidden intent.

You see, Class 3-E were fully prepared for their upcoming assassination plan with the allowance of loose ends strictly not being an option. 

~~~~~

**First stage: Recon**

"He's going nuts up there!" Suigno remarked, using his hand to shelter the sun from his eyes as he observed his teacher's movements.

Koro-sensei had attached himself to a hang glider, spiralling across the blue sky at an hyper sonic speed. 

_What a show off._

"But at least Group B's keeping him distracted," Katsuna stated, following the boy's line of sight before being smacked in the head with something hard. 

"Oops, _sorry,"_ Karma snickered behind his hand, winking playfully at the seething girl.

"I thought for _sure_ you would have caught that, my bad for _overestimating_ you."

A pair of arms wrapped around Katsuna's waist just as the raven head launched herself towards the smirking redhead. 

"LEMME AT HIM!" Katsuna roared, attempting to scramble herself out of Rio's tight grip.

"I'LL KILL HIM!"

"You can _kill_ him later, but right now, we need him!" the blonde huffed, struggling to keep the girl at bay. 

_Dammit.. she's right._

Katsuna exhaled deeply before sedating her hot temper. 

"This is your lucky day Akabane," she growled, swiftly grabbing the binoculars the boy had previously thrown and placing the strap around her neck. 

Unable to swim, the raven head was tasked with keeping an eye out on land whilst the other's searched under water. 

"Come on guys, we need as much time as possible!" Nagisa announced, strapping a pair of snorkels behind his head. 

"3..2..1.. **JUMP!"**

Nagisa and Rio divided into the cool water below, with Karma giving Katsuna a two fingered salute before following suit. 

What seemed like just a fun side activity, was actually a brilliant cover up for the students to proceed with scoping out the area undetected. 

Unfamiliar with the surroundings, Group A's job was to inspect the new territory and search for the perfect place to carry out their assassination plan. 

~~~~~

**Second Stage: Sniper Spot**

"Where's the target now?" Hayami enquired sharply, halting her movements before turning to her partner. 

"Currently touring sea caves with Group D," Chiba answered briskly, his tone expressionless.

"The target cannot see us. We're good to go." 

"Should give us a satisfactory space of time to search for a sniper spot," Hayami commented, returning her attention back on the foot path through the forest.

"Still, we shouldn't lounge around." Chiba mentioned, scanning the area with caution.

"Agreed."

 _"Why do I feel like I'm watching an action movie?"_ Sosuke whispered, a sweat drop appearing on his brow as he followed the duo in front.

 _"Hell, I wouldn't be surprised if they've done this before,"_ Takebayashi murmured in response, pacing beside the grey haired boy. 

~~~~~

**Third Stage: Weaken Target**

"Dinner is served," Isogai declared, handing his teacher a plate of lobster with a wide grin, "Eat up while you can Sir, this meal may be your last."

"Haha, we'll see aye?" Koro-sensei replied cockily, digging into his lavish dish.

"Smart choice using the yacht as the place to dine," he continued, his mouth filled with chunks of mushed seafood, "No doubt it's so you can get me sea sick."

"Well, you did teach us to use any of the target's weaknesses against them whenever possible," Isogai countered, playing off the remark slickly, "So it's only natural you'd think that." 

"Superb answer," Koro-sensei complimented, "However, a target who knows they'll be killed at any given time won't take it lying down, that's for sure." 

"Excuse me Sir," Rio interjected, diverting the octopus's attention, "I meant to ask this earlier, but why the heck do you look like a bowling ball?" 

The blonde was referring to the colour of Koro-sensei's skin, the bright yellow colour now replaced with pitch black. 

Even his usual pearly white teeth had fallen victim to the sunburn. 

"Please do something about it, it's starting to get super creepy!" 

"That I will!" Koro-sensei declared, rather confidently, "Remember I can moult my skin!" 

The octopus demonstrated one of his signature moves without hesitation, returning to normal in a blink of an eye. 

"See, aren't I just so incredible!" he chortled, lifting his moulted skin for all to see. 

"Can't you only do that once a month though?" Fuwa cut in, realising her teacher's mistake instantly. 

Koro-sensei, not catching on just yet, only laughed arrogantly in response. This carried on a few moments more before the sound gradually slowed, expressing his progressive realisation of his misjudgement. 

_"AHHHHH!"_

_"Seriously.._ he puts himself at a disadvantage _now_ of all times?" Sosuke stated, observing his target's panicked expression with a look of pity. 

"Kinda makes you think why we haven't been able to kill him yet..." Kataoka sighed, not only disappointed in her teacher but herself also.

~~~~~

**Final Stage: Attack**

After dinner, the class gathered together in the resort's floating chapel which was located a good distance from the main hotel. 

A TV had been placed at the front, gaining the octopus's interest instantaneously. 

"We'd like you to enjoy a little video Mimura put together to commemorate this special occasion," Isogai chirped, placing a hand on the orange haired boy's shoulder. 

"After that's finished, the 7 students who got the top scores in the finals will shoot off your tentacles, which will be the signal for everyone else to join in!" 

"Sounds like a grand plan!" Koro-sensei beamed, applauding the class with his tentacles. 

_A remote location surrounded by water._

_Walls and windows are likely treated with anti-me agent..._

_Out right escape is too risky, so I'll just dodge their attacks within the premises._

Koro-sensei cackled to himself, eager to get the ball rolling. 

**"Alright children, let's begin shall we?"**

~~~~~

_"Kunugigaoka Junior High Class 3-E may seem like just an ordinary classroom from the outside, but that notion couldn't be further from the truth.."_

_There's a few moving around behind me._

_No bother._

_I can detect them by their smell._

_Not to mention, from the shoreline, wafts the unmistakable scent of our top snipers-_

_**Wow!** _

_This movie is awfully captivating!_

_I'll have to remember this as one of Mimura's many favourable skills._

_"Now we'll be showcasing some disgraceful real life footage of our once cherished teacher.."_

_**Hold on a second....** _

A picture of Koro-sensei reading A Grade pornographic magazines was abruptly broadcasted to the whole class; the octopus's true perverted nature unmasked in all it's dirty glory. 

_**WHAATTTT?????!!!** _

_"To think our teacher would be a dangerous porn addict.. we can never look at him the same way again."_

**"CHILDREN THIS IS FAKE NEWS!"** Koro-sensei yelled frantically.

**"DON'T BELIEVE WHAT THEY'RE SAYING!"**

"So you're a porn addict and a liar.. how deplorable.." Rio cringed, her disgusted expression sending Koro-sensei in complete panic mode. 

_"At a recent women's only cake buffet, eye witness reports say that this shameful creature was spotted stealing the cakes in drag.."_

"A thief too...... despicable."

**"PLEASE STOP THIS!"**

**"NO MORE!"**

**"I CAN'T TAKE IT!"**

_"We've formulated an hour's worth of scandalous, unprincipled and just plain immoral footage.."_

**"THERE'S AN HOUR OF THIS SHI-"**

~~~~~ _  
_

Katsuna glanced down at her watch, grinning with slight certainty.

_It's nearly time._

She readied herself in the speedboat, waiting eagerly for Ritsu's signal. 

_5_

_4_

_3_

_2_

_1_

**"COMMENCE OPERATION NOW!"**

Right on cue, a series of gunfire could be heard within the walls of the chapel, which was now flooded with the ocean's high tide. 

_Bet that was a surprise, Koro-sensei._

**"TIME LAPSED - 5 SECONDS!"**

"LET'S GO!" Karma commanded from his own speedboat, ramping up the engine. 

Katsuna nodded, pulling down on the lever to accelerate away from the chapel. 

In total there were 4 speedboats, stationed in each of the four corners surrounding their target's location. Attached to the end of each vehicle was a sturdy piece of rope which was looped around the outside walls of the chapel. 

This meant that when each student reached a good distance away from the premises, the chapel's walls would rip apart, exposing Koro-sensei to outside. 

"DID IT WORK?" Kaede shouted across the sea, still travelling away from the chapel. 

"HELL YES!!!" Sumire cheered, sending Kaede a thumbs up from her position. 

**"TIME LAPSED - 35 SECONDS!"**

Katsuna spun the steering wheel around, proceeding to perform a sharp right turn so she was once again facing the now completely destroyed chapel. 

A grin surfaced on her features as she skid across the water at rapid speed, letting the air whip her face back. 

_THIS IS SO FUCKING COOL!!!!_

Katsuna caught sight of her other classmates as they rose above the water on fly boards, surrounding Koro-sensei in a circle formation. 

The idea was to keep the octopus guessing, successfully delaying his reaction time by continuously changing up the scenery. At one moment he was safely in a chapel and now he's trapped in a cage of hydrophilic air released from the student's air boards. 

**"TIME LAPSED - 53 SECONDS!"**

Katsuna reached her other classmates in no time, right alongside the students in the other speed boats. Swiftly, they all whipped out their BB guns, pointing them in the direction of their oversized yellow teacher. 

"EVERYONE, AIM ABOUT A METRE EITHER TO THE LEFT OR RIGHT OF THE TARGET!" Kataoka declared, before an eruption of gunfire exploded around Koro-sensei, now trapping him inside a cage of anti-sensei BB pellets. 

"BLOCK EVERY POSSIBLE ESCAPE!"

Amongst the ambush, Koro-sensei focused his efforts on the snipers he had detected earlier, his attention now on the shoreline.

However.. something felt _off._

_._

_**WAIT!** _

_**.** _

Koro-sensei shot his beady eyes towards the ocean, catching sight of the two snipers emerging from the water in scuba diving gear. 

.

_**THEY WERE DECOYS!!!????** _

_**.** _

Katsuna smirked at the octopus's caught of guard display. 

.

**_The killing shot.... g_ _oes to our snipers!!_ **

**_._ **

**"TIME LAPSED - 59 SECONDS!"** **_  
_ **

**.**

**_"GAME OVER!"_ **


	43. A Feverish Nightmare

_Amongst the ambush, Koro-sensei focused his efforts on the snipers he had detected earlier, his attention now on the shoreline._

_However.. something felt off._

_._

_**WAIT!** _

_**.** _

_Koro-sensei shot his beady eyes towards the ocean, catching sight of the two snipers emerging from the water in scuba diving gear._

.

_**THEY WERE DECOYS!!!????** _

_**.** _

_Katsuna smirked at the octopus's caught of guard display._

.

**_The killing shot.... g_ _oes to our snipers!!_ **

**_._ **

_**"TIME LAPSED - 59 SECONDS!"** **  
** _

**.**

**_"GAME OVER!"_ **

~~~~~

_Did we.._

_Did we get him?_

Katsuna scanned the ocean waves frantically for any sign of their target, observing carefully as each student resurfaced from the blast. 

It was too hard to tell if the bb's had hit their intended mark amongst the chaos before a performance of thunderous lightning stuck the platform surrounding the octopus, flooding everything in bleach white. 

The sheer force of the impact had caused the water to burst upwards, as if a bomb had detonated beneath the sea, causing the surrounding students to be catapulted into the air before slamming back down into the ocean below. 

Katsuna, Karma, Kaede and Sumire (who had all been at some distance from the target at the time) had each sped towards the centre of the aftermath in their individual speedboats, pulling their fellow classmates out of the ocean waters. 

"Still no sign of him," Katsuna spoke, reaching down to help lift Nagisa up into safety.

"It feels like it worked though.." Nagisa responded, his nerves still on end from the turn of events. 

Katsuna gritted her teeth in anticipation, desperate for success. 

_There's nowhere he could have gone.._

"Wait!" Nagisa exclaimed, his eyes focused on a certain spot in the water, "Check this out!!"

Katsuna flicked her eyes in the direction of his finger, gasping slightly at the unnatural sight. 

The water's surface was bubbling, it's pace rapidly speeding up and spreading into a circle shape. 

"Ready your guns!" Isogai declared, catching on quickly.

"SOMETHING'S COMING!"

The students trained the points of their weapons towards the spot, biting down their nerves in bitter anguish. 

Just then, the water surrounding the spot rose as something surfaced beneath it, revealing itself to every set of prying eyes. 

_You've **got** to be kidding me!_

There, floating motionless over the waves with his infamous green striped grin plastered on his face, was Koro-sensei.

However.. there was something _very different_ about his appearance. 

The usual oversized octopus had now shrunken into the size of a beach ball; a transparent shell surrounding his egotistical smile. 

_"Oh dear~, it seems I win once again!"_ Koro-sensei jeered from inside the clear casing. 

"Let me kindly introduce you to my **ABSOLUTE DEFENCE FORM!** "

_You **cannot** be serious right now. _

"This translucent exterior is constructed of nano matrix's formed by surplus energy," Koro-sensei continued to expand on his previous remark, most of the information flying over the student's heads. 

"Fundamentally, my normal body is compressed into the form you see now."

"Due to this, the power of the concentrated molecules creates a high density protective shell around me."

"Oh and the best part," he added, "It's absolutely invincible, hence the Absolute Defence!"

The students were left in silence, astonished beyond words at the revelation. All their hard work over the past months, everything they had planned together as a team with what seemed like had zero loopholes and still they were defeated by the creature who planned to destroy the Earth this coming March. 

An hollow empty feeling settled within the pits of their stomachs, every student physically and mentally exhausted from the day's work and for nothing to show for it. 

Defeat is a tasteless thing. 

**"THAT'S BULLSHIT!"**

Sets of crushed gazes fell on the brute of the classroom as he wandered his way through the water to reach their floating teacher. 

"Nothing's invincible if you just hit it hard enough!" Terasaka asserted before whacking the ball with a metal screwdriver.

"LET'S SEE HOW LONG YOU LAST YOU DAMN SEA URCHIN!"

Koro-sensei snickered at the meathead's futile attempts at breaking is defence, mentioning that even a nuclear blast wouldn't even leave so much as a scratch. 

"There are a couple things however that I have failed to tell you about," the beach ball announced, seizing the boy's efforts.

"The first is that I won't be like this forever."

"I'll return to my normal full size in about 24 hours."

"In addition to this, I cannot move even one inch by my own free will in this for-" 

_"You don't say huh,"_ Karma interjected, cutting off the octopus's speech, "Give him here for a sec."

"Good luck doing anything to me," Koro-sensei taunted once in the redhead's clutches.

"There's nothing you can- _**AHHHHHHHHH!!!** "_

The devious boy had taken advantage of his teacher's current position and, Karma being Karma, had shoved a picture of the octopus's captured perverted reading session in front of the defenceless victim. 

**"PLEASE!!!"**

**"YOU MONSTER!!!"**

"Oh, _my bad,"_ Karma grinned devilishly, diligently placing a slimy sea slug on the beach ball's face, _"Is this better?"_

_**"GET THIS OFF ME RIGHT NOW!!!"** _

_**"SOMEONE HELP ME!!"** _

"What are you on about?" the redhead smiled sadistically, a pair of devil horns sprouting from his forehead.

_**"I'm only just getting started!"** _

~~~~~

_We totally blew it._

Katsuna groaned in despair as her head sunk down on top of the table. She observed the sea of depressed, drained expressions of her classmates in silence. 

Once Karasuma-sensei had taken possession of the target in his new form, the class had sulked back to the hotel for some evening drinks in an attempt to brighten their moods. 

However, the students had only fallen into a deeper mope upon arriving, most hardly raising their heads from the comfort of their arms. 

_"Man, I could sleep for an entire year..."_ Maehara breathed raggedly, catching the eye of his black haired friend. 

"Right, I vote we catch up on some rest and try to enjoy the rest of the vacation," Isogai perked up amongst the stillness, taking charge. 

"Well I'm going to spend all of tomorrow gawking at babes in bikinis!" Okajima fantasied, his red cheeks glowing. 

Katsuna sighed at the E Class's very own pervert though she was a little glad that at least one person was returning to normal. 

_Wait.. something seems off._

As her eyes surveyed the state of her classmates, she noticed something increasingly peculiar. 

_I mean, I know we're all tired but.._

_"Hey Katsuna.."_ Rio spoke drowsily, dragging herself across the wooden deck, _"Do you mind if I lay on you for a-"_

The blonde collapsed onto the floor in a lump, startling the raven head whilst confirming her suspicions.

"Hey hey, you're okay," Katsuna hushed, kneeling down beside her trembling classmate.

_Crap.. she's burning up really bad._

**"Bleghh!!"**

The sickly noise alerted the surrounding students as they turned to see Okajima, now clutching onto his nose in surprise, thick streams of dark red blood seeping through the cracks of his fingers. 

"KARASUMA-SENSEI, WE NEED HELP!" Isogai yelled desperately, his arms now holding Maehara's unconscious form. 

Karasuma appeared onto the deck in no time at all, carrying Koro-sensei in a plastic bag, his expression just as baffled as everyone elses. It had seemed that the majority of the class were now showcasing the same symptoms, all severely flushed and sweating profusely.

"Hey you!" he demanded, charging towards a nearby staff member, "Call an ambulance, we have a serious situation here!" 

"I can, but they won't be here for a while," she explained weakly, her eyes wide with worry, "The nearest hospital is on the mainland."

"Dammit!" Karasuma cursed, whipping his head towards the panicked class. 

_**What the hell is going on?!** _

The sound of his phone ringing broke him out of his thoughts instantaneously, a feeling of dread surfacing in the pit of his stomach as his eyes gazed across the words "Unknown Caller". 

"Who is this?" 

..

....

_**"I see your students are having a little trouble."** _

Karasuma bolted upright almost immediately at the ominous voice speaking to him down the phone. The user was heavily utilising voice changing equipment to disguise himself. In quick thinking, Karasuma signalled to Nagisa to come towards him in order to use Ritsu to trace where the speaker was coming from. 

"You're the one who's behind this ruse then?"

_**"Indeed I am the mastermind, though I don't need to reveal my true identity just yet."** _

"Then tell me, what did you do to these kids?"

**_"Haha, straight to the point I see."_ **

**_"Those snot nose brats are hosting a deadly lab manufactured virus."_ **

**_"Symptoms vary from person to person, but no matter, the end result is the same."_ **

"And what is that?"

**_"Death."_ **

A sinister laugh echoed through the phone as Karasuma gritted his teeth in anguish. 

"You sick bastard..." 

**_"Careful now, you don't want to ruin my fun do you?"_ **

**_"Be grateful that I have also invested in the only known antidote which is lab made as well."_ **

**_"If you want it, come and get it."_ **

Nagisa lifted his phone screen up to Karasuma's face, showing where the signal of the voice was coming from. 

**_"There's a hotel on the top of this resort's highest peak."_ **

**_"Bring me the 10 billion yen octopus and we can discuss a trade."_ **

**_"Top floor and within the hour."_ **

"That short of time!?"

**_"It's so you don't come up with any tricks in the mean time."_ **

**_"Nice and simple."_ **

"I see.."

**_"As I'd rather not tangle myself with you personally, send up two students instead."_ **

**_"The shortest boy and tallest girl out of the bunch who are still standing."_ **

_That would be.... Nagisa and Katsuna._

_**"If you contact outside help of any kind."** _

_**"BOOM!"** _

With that said, the line cut dead. 

~~~~~

"So the hotel won't give up any of their client's details.." Karasuma spat, crossing his arms tightly as his mind ticked through the limited options. 

"Disgraceful!" Koro-sensei seethed.

"I'm not surprised," Professor Bitch spoke, tapping her foot rhythmically on the ground.

"The place is a feeding ground for all sorts of shady business deals, not to mention, the owners have connections inside the government.

"Law enforcement wouldn't touch this place with a 10 foot pole." 

"Precisely why it's the perfect place for something like this to happen," Karasuma gritted, narrowing his eyes to the floor, "All the times a psychotic freak decides to butt in and they choose now." 

"So there's no way of knowing who the prick is before we meet him.." Karma grumbled, side eyeing the raven head who was tending to the weakened students. 

"There's no way Nagisa and Katsuna can take this guy on by themselves," he continued, maintaining a stern eye contact with his spiky haired teacher, "We might as well be feeding them to the dogs."

"Exactly!" Yoshida raged, sweating with nerves, "We can't take the guy's word for it!"

"If he's bullshitting us, we'll just be wasting our time!"

"No one we're doing what the asshole says," Terasaka chastised, "My friend's lives are in danger, I'm not going to let them die on me!"

"Let's get them to the nearest hospital and try our luck there!"

"That won't work," Takebayashi interrupted, scooting his glasses up his nose, "It's a lab-made virus meaning that chances of the hospital knowing what's wrong with be second to none."

"My advice is to focus on easing the symptoms the best we can until we figure out what to do."

"You mean to tell me that _that's_ theonly way, **what a bunch of horse wank!** "

"It's true.." Nagisa exhaled, his thoughts certain on that one aspect. 

_If Koro-sensei could move.. maybe we'd have stood a chance._

"What I want to know is how did the guy even know about us being here, not to mention the assassination attempt?" Kaede voiced, the remark feeding into the piled worries.

"There was only a limited amount of people who knew about it so, _how did word get out?"_

Katsuna bit down hard on her tongue, the overheard question stabbing into her stomach like a knife. 

_**No way..** _

Her eyes scanned across the rows of sickened students, their twisted faces of pain and suffering deafening the outside world. 

_**All of this..** _

She peered down at Rio, one of the only people in E-3 that she felt somewhat close too, covered in her own vomit and saliva.

_**...was because...** _

The discussion with the principal before departing for the trip, pounding in her head. 

_**...of me?** _

_**There's no other possible explanation.** _

_**But.. why all of this?** _

**_Why go so far?!_ **

**_It doesn't make sense!_ **

**_I gave him what he wanted...._ **

**_I never imagined that_ ** **_he'd go this far._ **

**_This is all my fault._ **

~~~~~ _  
_

"What the hell are we going to do.." Karasuma muttered to himself, wracking his brain for answers.

_Our hands are tied._

"Excuse me, Sir?"

Karasuma lowered his gaze to meet Katsuna's, taken back by the turmoil of emotion displayed within her eyes. 

"I'll go to the rendezvous point alone."

The teacher seemed startled at the full frontal request. 

"Sir, please let me do this."

"You know I can handle myself out there if something did happen, I can do this."

"I don't want anymore people than there needs to be, put in harms way."

"I can do this Sir, please send me-"

**"No."**

The spoken word did not come from the spiky haired man, instead a aggravated redhead who was having none of it. 

**"Come with me."**

Much to her surprise, Karma forcibly grabbed her wrist, pulling her roughly out of sight.

"Let me go!" Katsuna yelled, attempting to dig her feet in the sand to escape the grip. 

With a final tug, she managed to detach herself from the boy's grip, retracting her wrist swiftly.

"You can't keep doing this Karma!" she spat, rubbing her fingers across her now plum red skin, "I'm not your fucking proper-"

" **Shut the fuck up right now!** " Karma ordered, silencing the girl instantly. 

He ran his fingers through his cherry red hair in a hastily manner, his expression a mix of pain, anger and frustration. 

" **What the hell were you thinking asking to go alone?!** " he exploded, his crimson eyes wide with fire.

**"Do you have any idea how dangerous that is?!"**

**"I don't need your permission to do things!"** Katsuna retorted, equally as frustrated and angry at the redhead's behaviour. 

**"Don't you dare feed me that shit!"** Karma seethed, barely containing his pent up violence any longer, **"This is about the fucking statement Kaede said, isn't it?!"**

**"No it's-"**

**"STOP LYING TO ME!"** the redhead bellowed, pulling at the ends of his hair, **"I SAW THE WAY YOU REACTED!"**

 **"WHAT THE HELL DO YOU WANT FROM ME!?"** Katsuna screamed, her eyes brimming with salty tears, **"IF YOU KNOW SO MUCH THEN YOU SHOULD UNDERSTAND THE SIMPLE FACT THAT I HAVE NO CHOICE!"**

 **"But you do have a choice, you idiot!"** Karma pleaded, desperate to get through to her.

**"You don't always have to do things alon-"**

**"YOU JUST DON'T UNDERSTAND!"  
**

As much as she tried to hold it in, the pain came out like an uproar from her throat, beads of water beginning falling down one after another, without a sign of stopping.

**"NO MATTER WHAT I DO, NO MATTER HOW HARD I TRY TO MAKE THINGS RIGHT.."**

**"IT ALWAYS ENDS UP AMOUNTING TO NOTHING!"**

_I can't.._

**"HOW CAN ANYONE HELP ME WHEN I CAN'T EVEN HELP MYSELF?"**

_...hold back..._

**"EVERYONE IS GOING TO DIE BECAUSE OF ME SO IT'S ONLY RIGHT THAT I FACE THE PROBLEM ALONE!"**

_...the pain._

**"WHY SHOULD OTHERS HAVE TO SUFFER BECAUSE OF ME?!"**

**"ANYONE I'VE EVER GOTTEN TOO CLOSE TURNS UP DEAD!"**

_I wish.._

**"I TRY TO MOVE ON, MAKE EXCUSES BUT THE END RESULT IS ALWAYS THE SAME!"**

_...I would just..._

**"SO TELL ME WHY I CAN'T DO THIS TO PROTECT AT LEAST ONE THING CLOSE TO ME?!"**

_...die._

Before she knew what was happening, Karma had wrapped an arm around her shoulders, pulling her close into his warm protective embrace. Despite the heaviness in her stomach, it fluttered slightly at the feeling of her body pressed against his. 

_"It's okay to let it out, no-one's looking."_

Consumed with guilt, Katsuna sunk into the warmth of his side, burying her face in his chest as she began to sob uncontrollably. Her trembling hands clung onto his shirt as he held her in silence, rocking her gently as the tears soaked his clothes. 

"I don't want anymore people to die." 

The muffled words hardly managed to break out amongst sound of choking tears.

Karma rested his chin on top of her head, his arms clenching tighter. 

"I won't let it happen. I promise."

~~~~~

After a few minutes, Katsuna finally began to calm down, her breathing returning to a somewhat normal pace. Gradually, she began to pull back from Karma's embrace, the consolatory warmth receding from her body. 

"Man, you're one ugly ass crier," Karma snickered lightly, pulling on Katsuna's red puffy cheeks before began whacked away. 

" _Ugh.._ we can't go back like this," Katsuna sniffed, referring to the obvious wet patch on Karma's shirt and her tear-stained features. 

"I guess there's only one thing to do then," the redhead responded, lifting Katsuna into a bridal hold. 

"WAIT! WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE-"

Before she could finish her sentence, Karma threw her into freezing ocean water, the temperature creating goosebumps on her body. 

"YOU ASSHOLE!" Katsuna spluttered, wiping her eyes from the stinging salt water. 

Karma only chuckled at the insult, perching himself beside her amongst the rippling waves. They were only about a metre from the shoreline so the shallow depth was perfect to just lay in. 

"Now that we're both soaking wet..." Karma teased, wiggling his eyebrows suggestively. 

Katsuna threw him a look of disgust before playfully splashing him. 

"Oh, so you want to play that game huh?" the redhead grinned wide, violently splashing her back repetitively. 

"PPFTT- OKAY, FINE! I'M SORRY! JUST STOP PLEASE!" Katsuna laughed, attempting to shelter herself from the vicious attacks. 

" _What I was going to say,_ " Karma smiled, seizing his hand movements, "Was that, now as we both have red eyes from the sea water and are completely drenched, no-one will be the wiser!" 

"Aren't I just incredibly clever!"

"Yeah, whatever," Katsuna replied, smirking at the boy's pouted expression.

"Come on, let's go back, they need us."

 _"Fineee~"_ Karma sang childishly, clambering to his feet. 

_"I am pretty clever though."_

"As if I'd ever agree to that."

~~~~~

"Ah, there you are!" Karasuma called, addressing the two students who had now reemerged from the shadows, _"Why the hell are you both dripping wet?"_

"Well you see," Karma started, snickering devilishly.

"You know what, never mind," Karasuma cut off, before turning to face Katsuna.

"About your earlier request," he started, gaining eye contact with the student, "It turns out we won't be needing you to anything of the sort." 

"What do you mean, did something happen?" Katsuna pressed, her eyes wide with curiosity. 

"More like, I happened!" Koro-sensei beamed from the table behind the spiky haired man.

_**"You see, I think I might just have a solution."** _


	44. Fantasie Impromptu

_"What do you mean, did something happen?" Katsuna pressed, her eyes wide with curiosity._

_"More like, I happened!" Koro-sensei beamed from the table behind the spiky haired man._

_**"You see, I think I might just have a solution."** _

~~~~~

 _"Whoa, whoa, whoa,"_ Yoshida exclaimed, holding his hand up.

"We're _climbing_ this thing?"

The remaining healthy students had been driven half way up the island, stopping in front of the towering cliff that the rendezvous point was located on top of. 

"That's right!" Koro-sensei encouraged from his now motionless state.

"I'll allow Ritsu to explain the details." 

"I've successfully infiltrated the hotel network, gathering up the architectural layout of what we are dealing with," Ritsu chirped from each student's phone, showing a diagram of the structure. 

"As the main force of security surrounds the front entrance, it's pretty much impossible to get through."

"However, there is another access route we can take, which is just up this cliff side."

"Due to the rough terrain, there is minimal security guarding this entrance, so it seems the most logical way of sneaking in undetected." 

"Courage children," Koro-sensei declared, sparking a light of hope. 

"10 of your classmates are ill, 2 others have been left behind to take care of them." 

"We'll teach this madman a lesson by sneaking in and stealing the antidote ourselves!" 

The students listened to their teacher's words, acknowledging firmly that if they want to save their bed-ridden classmates...

**This would be the only way.**

_"It's just.. it's going to be really difficult.."_ Hinata muttered wearily, gazing upon the obstacle in front of her. 

_"It's so high.."_

**"This is too dangerous!"** Karasuma announced, his features riddled with worry.

"I agree," Professor Bitch stepped in, "Odds are they'll plummet to their deaths halfway up." 

"I can't let this be carried out," Karasuma urged, shaking his head swiftly.

"Let's go back and play by the enemies rul-" 

"Oh this is nothing!" Isogai cut off, already beginning the climb with somewhat of a forced smile.

_"What are we scared of?"_

"Exactly!" Fuwa chirped, following suit after the class rep.

_"What have we been training for all this time huh?"_

One by one, each student began to scale the cliff side, encouraged by their classmates bravery and the stakes at hand. 

"We can handle this Sir," Isogai beamed, gesturing to his surrounding classmates.

"All we really need now is you, **our commander**."

Karasuma looked up at his courageous determined pupils, juggling the variables in this mind. 

"You see, they aren't just normal teenagers."

The spiky haired man peered down at the beach ball in his clutches, his eyebrows twitching with concern. 

"You have a 16 member special forces unit at your beckon call and at a time like this, they are the best hope." 

Karasuma closed his eyes, biting down his protective side at the words of his co-worker. 

_He's right._

"Alright, listen up! he commanded, directing his voice to the class.

"Our objective is the hotel's top floor."

"This is a stealth operation so our best weapon at this point is the element of surprise."

"With this, we can catch our target off guard and claim the antidote."

"You've got 3 minutes to memorise the layout Ritsu has sent out, we commence in 5!"

**"YES SIR!"**

~~~~~

"Damn, you're like a monkey!" Kimura remarked loudly, marvelling at Hinata's speed as she ascended up the rocky ledge rapidly.

"Last one up pays for the whole class to go get ice cream!" she called down, igniting a spark for competition. 

"Well it ain't looking good for Terasaka," Kaede commented, looking behind her shoulder at the meathead's slow pace.

"I say Professor Bitch takes one for the team," Kataoka responded, gesturing down to their blonde teacher who, instead of climbing herself, was hitching a ride on the back of Karasuma. 

"DON'T YOU DARE DROP OR I'LL KILL YOU!"

_"WILL YOU STOP MOVING AROUND OR I MIGHT JUST THROW YOU OFF!"_

**"YOU WOULDN'T DARE!"**

"Why did she even come again?" Kataoka sighed, heavily judging the teacher's childish attitude.

"She hates being left out," Kaede exhaled, mirroring her expression.

_How is she even our teacher?_

"HEY! KATSUNA! KARMA! SLOW DOWN!" Nagisa yelled, watching helplessly as the gap between him and the two other students began widening substantially. 

**"I'M NOT LETTING HER WIN!"**

**"I'M NOT LETTING HIM WIN!"**

_Jeez.. they're completely hopeless._

~~~~~

"Side door locked, give me one second."

With the quiet click, the entrance to the hotel was now accessible for the assassins. 

**There was no turning back now.**

The class shifted wordlessly through the orange lit corridor until they came to a opening. 

Karasuma placed his fingers on his lips with his back pressed against the wall before taking a swift look around the corner. 

It was the ground floor lobby, flooded with mean looking security guards wearing black suits. Unfortunately, the route the students needed to take was located a good few meters to the left of them, and with that many guards, it was virtually impossible to slip by unnoticed. 

Karasuma turned his head back to the class, analysing the few options they had. 

_Maybe send only one or two across at a time.... hmm no.. safety in numbers._

_We don't know who we are up against._

"Oh sweetie, let me take care of this," Professor Bitch spoke confidently, flipping her hair over her shoulder. 

_"Watch and learn."_

The students gasped in horror as their unwavering teacher strolled into plain sight, her blonde locks flowing elegantly behind her. As she grew closer to the security guards, her form became slouched and she began seem unbalanced in her movements. 

She slumped against one of the structural pillars, letting her body language drape in a lewd manner. 

_"Oh dear~ I think I'm a little lost.."_ Professor Bitch swooned innocently, catching the eye of a perverted enemy, _"Maybe I did have just few too many drinks than I was supposed too~"_

_"Oops~"_

The blonde winked suggestively, landing the final blow for the man to lower his guard completely. 

"Wow, she's incredible.." Katsuna whispered, watching the show from the sidelines. 

"Of course she is, this is her speciality," Karasuma replied softly, "She is a professional after all."

 _"Oh look, it's the piano I'm supposed to perform on next week!"_ Irina squealed, pointing to the lavish instrument located in the middle of the foyer. 

_"Mind if I play something now?"_

This immediately drew the attention of the other surrounding guards, one by one falling under the bewitching spell as her long graceful fingers touched the keys on the piano, creating a tranquil melody. 

"Wow, she can really play!" Kimura gawked.

"An assassin must have multiple blades designed for any occasion," Koro-sensei explained, referring the time just before midterms.

_"She's a masterpiece at work."_

"Hey, don't be afraid, come a little closer," Professor Bitch enticed, every eye now riveted towards her position. 

_That's right, don't take your attention off of me for even one second._

_I'm the only thing that matters in this moment._

_"It's time,_ let's get a move on," Karasuma acknowledged, turning his head away from the sight before directing the students towards their designated route. 

Each student slipped by unnoticed, their thanks directed to their blonde childish teacher. 

_"Just when you think you know someone..."_ Sosuke exhaled, silently climbing the velvet red carpet staircase. 

"Who knew huh.." Nagisa added, following suit in his movements.

_"Never judge a book by it's cover I guess."_

"Precisely!" Koro-sensei affirmed from the plastic bag.

"Your language arts teacher may be a handful but she's also one of the most dangerous women in the world.

The students nodded, recognising the true hidden strength of Professor Bitch. 

"Let's get going," Karasuma commanded, focusing back on the task at hand. 

**"Time is of the essence."**


	45. Purple Poison

"Hey, so I was wondering, won't it look like super suspicious with a bunch of kids walking around a place like this?" Sosuke enquired.

"You'd be surprised," Karasuma answered, glancing back at the silver haired boy.

"The children of the ultra-rich stay here whilst their parents go about their business deals, so I doubt any passersby will even bat an eye."

"That's right kiddos," Koro-sensei smiled, "Walk around like you own the place!"

~~~~~

The group continued to weave through what seemed like an endless corridor of fancy plants and hotel doors. 

Mr Karasuma was right in saying they wouldn't be messed with. 

All sorts of people passed by, some showing off their gang tattoos and others in expensive suits, though none dared to even catch the children in the eye. Business men who come here choose to keep a low profile, so that means not causing trouble throughout their stay. 

Finally, the group reached an open square area that separated into four routes, one on each wall.

"Straight ahead!" Ritsu declared cheerfully. 

"Getting to the top floor is turning out to be a lot easier than I had originally thought," Kaede mentioned, a soft smile gracing her features.

"I know what you mean," Hinata replied, pacing beside her green haired classmate.

"Especially with Mr K as our leader, I personally feel pretty safe." 

"Let's not get overly confident, we're not there yet," Karasuma called from the front of the pack.

"Whatever, I say we storm the joint!" Terasaka asserted, side eyeing Yoshida with a mischievous grin. 

The two boys began charging ahead, blatantly ignoring Karasuma's shouts.

"Idiots!" Katsuna muttered under her breath, catching the eye of a man casually strolling in the opposite direction. 

_Why does he.. oh shit!_

**"TERASAKA GET BACK!"**

**"HEY YOU GUYS! WATCH OUT!"**

_Everything happened in a blink of an eye._

_Katsuna's instinctive warning._

_Fuwa's desperate scream._

_Karasuma's lunge forward._

The only thing the student's could register was the dark purple gas cloud engulfing their teacher's entire body. 

"KARASUMA-SENSEI!" Nagisa proclaimed, watching a mix of horror and relief as their commander reappeared from the smoke. 

_"Crap.. it's poison gas.."_ he croaked, staggering towards the ground. 

The cloud of smoke soon dispersed into the air, revealing the culprit behind the attack.

He was wearing a yellow and white Hawaiian shirt with a beige bowler hat... the type of clothes you wouldn't look twice at. 

But behind that everyday attire hid a menacing aura that only Katsuna seemed to detect. 

_"Clever girls,"_ the enemy sneered, slitting his darkened eyes. 

"Though I must admit, I'm a little curious as to how you figured it out." 

" **You** were the one who gave us those complementary drinks when we first arrived," Fuwa accused, sharpening her eyes on the target.

~~~~~

_**"Welcome to the Okinawa Resort!"** _

_**"From all the staff here, we hope that your stay is enjoyable."** _

~~~~~ _  
_

"If you worked for the hotel, why would you be a guest here?" the purple head continued judgmentally.

**"You're the one who got everyone sick!"**

"You have no proof!" the assailant retorted, snickering to himself.

"Tropical paradises like this are a hotbed for all kinds of diseases."

"And yet, we were all spilt up into different groups throughout the day," Fuwa perked up diligently.

"The only time we were together was on the boat for dinner, but even then, Mimura bailed out to finish the movie for our assassination attempt." 

"The fact that he's also under the weather proves that your free drinks are the only suspect in this investigation." 

"Take that you jackass!" Fuwa finished, smirking at the now highly irritated man. 

"Woah that was seriously cool!" Nagisa complimented, gawking proudly at his E Class's Sherlock Holmes. 

"I thank all the mystery solving manga I've been reading," Fuwa beamed smugly.

_**"Eliminate the impossible and whatever reminds must be the truth!"** _

The echoes of slow clapping cut through the atmosphere, making the students return their focus to the dangerous situation at hand. 

" _WOW~"_ the poisoner congratulated sarcastically, pausing his hand movements.

" _Not to toot my own horn,_ but it seems that my _homemade gas concoction_ is working _wonders_ on your dear teacher over here." 

He chuckled deeply as the students peered down at Karasuma who was crumbled on the floor, groaning in pain. 

"Now, it seems you aren't here to trade so I'll just be going now to tell the boss- _HUH?"_

Just as the assassin turned to stride out of the room, his eyes caught sight of the students as they separated into groups before blocking all four exits, trapping the target like a mouse. 

"First rule when going up against an enemy.." Isogai scowled, readying his stance.

"Scout the exits, block their escape..." Kataoka carried on, raising her defence position. 

"Cut off their communication," Terasaka finished, his eyes never leaving his opponent. 

"We learn from the best, isn't that right Mr K?" Isogai stated, referring to their commander who wasn't out of commission just yet. 

_"You were a tad too quick to show us your true colours,"_ Karasuma grimaced, rocking slightly as he began to rise to his feet. 

He rose his head to meet the steady eye of his challenger, sweat droplets trickling from his brow as he bit down the immense pain. 

"I see you can still speak," the attacker snarled, lifting his white scarf to protect his mouth.

"I'll just have to give you another dose of my lethal poisonous ga- _AGHH!"_

Karasuma had swung his leg round at a speed no-one could match, connecting his knee with the chin of his opponent, sending him flipping backwards towards the ground.

_S-SO STRONG!_

_B-But the poison will still take effect..._

_No matter what he does._

**"KARASUMA-SENSEI!"**

~~~~~

"Man, how in the hell is he still moving?" Sosuke marvelled, eyeing up his teacher who was now up on his feet with the help of Isogai. 

"Mr K is one bad-ass guy," Hinata exclaimed, following his line of sight. 

_"That stuff could have killed an elephant!"_

With the poisoner assassin unconscious and defeated, the students took the chance to tie him up with rope before hiding him behind one of the cushion couches where he was out of sight. 

Karasuma had woken up only seconds after colliding with the floor after he used the last bit of his strength on his attack. Choosing to ignore the incredible pain and exhaustion, the hero clambered back on his feet and swung an arm behind Isogai's neck to steady himself before hobbling on wards.

Never had the class respected someone as much as they did their own commander in this very moment. 

~~~~~

With the first floor cleared, the students made their way up the stairs towards the second. This walkway seemed to curve slightly, with one wall made of plaster and the other layered with windows so they could view the tropical landscape.

"So, how'd you know?" Karma commented suspiciously, side eyeing the raven head beside him as he matched her pace.

"How'd I know what?" Katsuna responded, dumbfounded by his remark.

"That he was a target, _what else?"_ the redhead smirked, observing the girl as her irritation levels began to rise. 

"Well you could have been a bit more specific," she retorted sharply, biting back her tongue as the crimson head rolled his eyes dramatically. 

"I could sense his blood lust," Katsuna revealed, a little baffled by it herself.

"But the bastard didn't show it until he pulled out the gas," Karma inquired, peering down at her with questioning eyes. 

"Even before that.. ever since I caught eye of him.." Katsuna shook her head, staring hard at the ground. 

"I could feel traces, as if it was water being contained in a bag with holes."

"I got the same with Takaoka, just before he hurt Maehara." 

"It just comes natural to me," Katsuna finished, squeezing her hands into fists. 

~~~~~

_**"I have the same gut feeling when observing you, the aura of a natural born killer."** _

~~~~~ _ **  
**_

_Natural born huh..._

_The thought of **his** blood running through my veins..._

_**Makes me vomit.** _

"Maybe if I had been there with everyone as they came into contact with the poisoner.." Katsuna mumbled, narrowing her eyebrows.

"I could have stopped this-"

"Don't do that to yourself," Karma interjected, stuffing his hands into his pockets.

"Yeah sure, maybe you could have sensed it but on the other hand, what if you ended up drinking the juice instead?" 

"Did you ever stop and think that we need you here?" the redhead continued, almost aggressively. 

"If you hadn't noticed, our lead force is down."

She glanced wearily at their wounded commander, his body struggling against the poison in his system. 

**"We need as much strength as possible if we want to save everyone."**

Katsuna grimaced her jaw, shaking the sick feeling of guilt from her chest.

_He's right._

_There's no time to think about maybe's._

_I have to focus on the task at hand._

_Still though.._

Katsuna peered up at the redhead beside her, her golden green orbs hinted with a single question. 

"Karma- _hmph!"_

The redhead's hand clamped over her mouth in an instant, his focus trained on something in front of them. 

Katsuna followed his line of sight, noticing along the way that every other student was now pressed up against the plaster wall, each of their individual gazes falling on the same thing. 

A man dressed in a mud green trench coat with sandy long blond hair, leaning silently against the windows.

His dark grey eyes seemed empty, his aura howling _kill or be killed._

 _"Why is he stood out in the open like that?"_ Yada whispered hesitantly.

"Not gonna lie, he's giving me a severe case of the willys," Sosuke fretted, trembling slightly. 

Karasuma tried to focus is blurry eyesight, assessing the situation in anguish.

_A scenic walkway with an unobstructive view._

_A surprise attack would be useless._

_**We're in trouble.** _

Just then, the once silent atmosphere was suddenly rent by the sound of breaking glass, making the students shriek in surprise.

**They had been discovered.**

"How dull _hun_ ," the man spoke, his voice dragging out in a deep brutish tone. 

_"I wanted to kill something interesting hun, not a bunch of kids."_

" _Holy shit.._ he cracked the window with his freaking HAND!" Yoshida cried out, amazed by his target's sheer strength.

"Wow, _could you say that any louder?"_ Hinata sighed sarcastically, facepalming herself. 

"The dude knows we're here anyway, no use hiding now," Terasaka shrugged, pulling away from the wall with others following suit. 

"Where's your special ops leader _hun_?" the assassin spoke, scanning the group as they revealed themselves. 

"I guess the gas got to him first _hun,_ it's a shame.."

" _Hun, I wanted to put him out of commission myself."_

The class stood in silence, their faces plastered with apprehensive expressions.

 _"Nobodies got the nerve to say it...."_ Fuwa thought timidly, 

_"But the way he talks-"_

**_"Dude, what's the deal with all the stupid huns?"_**

The students gaped open mouthed at the redhead's ignorant comment, absolutely gobsmacked by his perky cheerful tone. 

"That's how samurais talk _hun,"_ the target responded, completely serious with his tone. 

"Makes me feel badass!"

 _"You gotta be kidding me.."_ Katsuna exhaled, unbelieving of the words dripping out his mouth. 

"It's actually the first time I've tried it out _hun_ ," the assassin disclosed, the nail biting cracking sound from his hands echoing throughout the hallway. 

_"I might end up dropping it hun, once I kill you of course."_

_"No-one else has heard me talk like this hun, so it'll be a clean slate."_

"Sir, are your hands your only weapon?" Koro-sensei queried, analysing the opponent with his sceptical eyes. 

"Handy right?" the man answered, grinning slyly to himself.

"That's why I call myself _Grip."_

"It means I'm always armed no matter where I am, _hun."_

_"I can even crack a skull if need be."_

The children bit down on their tongues in an attempt to hide their trembles in response to the hair raising remark. 

"Though, I was hoping for a worthy opponent," he continued, staring the group down. 

He huffed loudly, reaching into his pocket to collect a walkie-talkie. 

"What a waste of my time _hun,_ I'mcalling the boss to clean this-"

**SMASH!**

_"What the.."_

**"You know, _for a pro,_ you seem pretty average to me." **

The group gawked in astonishment at the redhead, now stood only 2 metres from the assassin, holding the sturdy trunk of one of the hotel's plants in his grip. 

**"And is breaking glass supposed to be intimating, _I can do that too."_**

The now crumpled up walkie-talkie was lying on the ground in pieces from where it had been crushed against the window with the plant pot. 

**"What I wouldn't do is call up reinforcements like the sniveller you portray yourself as."**

"Karma, stop- _Agh,"_ Karasuma called out worriedly, wincing from the pain. 

"Not so fast!" Koro-sensei cut in, his eyes trained on the crimson head. 

_"The boy's chin is down."_

Karasuma gasped slightly, peering back up the student, acknowledging what that meant instantly. 

"Karma usually enters a fight with his chin angled upwards, showcasing a sense of disregard to his opponents strength."

"Yet here, his chin is angled down, revealing that he recognises the target in front of him as someone he values." 

_"He's alert and ready to strike at any given time."_

Katsuna stared at the redhead in bitter concern, an overwhelming sensation she wasn't familiar with, swamping her thoughts. 

_Why do I feel... this ache?_

_To protect.._

_I know he can handle himself.._

_But.._

**"Karma.... Be Careful!"**

The redhead chuckled slightly, raising his fighting stance. 

"Remember what I said back on the beach?" he spoke up, grabbing the raven head's attention. 

Katsuna gulped down her nerves as she retraced their conversation in her mind.

~~~~~

**_"I don't want anymore people to die."_ **

**_The muffled words hardly managed to break out amongst sound of choking tears._ **

**_Karma rested his chin on top of her head, his arms clenching tighter._ **

**_"I won't let that happen. I promise."_ **

~~~~~

 _"I remember.."_ she responded hesitantly, returning her focus back on the boy in front. 

_"If there's one thing you should know about me,"_ Karma vowed, darkening his tone slightly.

**"It's that I've never once broken a promise."**


	46. With Only A Hand

**_"Karma.... Be Careful!"_ **

_The redhead chuckled slightly, raising his fighting stance._

_"Remember what I said back on the beach?" he spoke up, grabbing the raven head's attention._

_Katsuna gulped down her nerves as she retraced their conversation in her mind.  
_

~~~~~

**_"I don't want anymore people to die."_ **

**_The muffled words hardly managed to break out amongst sound of choking tears._ **

**_Karma rested his chin on top of her head, his arms clenching tighter._ **

**_"I won't let that happen. I promise."_ **

~~~~~

_"I remember.." she responded hesitantly, returning her focus back on the boy in front._

_"If there's one thing you should know about me," Karma vowed, darkening his tone slightly._

**_"It's that I've never once broken a promise."_ **

~~~~~

_**Now!** _

Karma lunged forward with his right foot, swinging his makeshift weapon in an attempt to hit his opponent round the face. Grip caught the plant in his hand, using the strength of his muscles to snap the weapon in two. 

"Respectable effort, but in terms of weapons," Grip sneered as the plant splintered into pieces to the ground. 

"I would have gone for something harder _hun."_

Karma jumped back, raising his guard up once more as he returned the arrogant smirk on his lips. 

"Well you win some, you lose some." 

Grip sniggered at the halfhearted response, thrusting himself forward with his lethal hand reaching towards his target. 

The redhead dodged with milliseconds to spare, his mercury eyes trained solely on the opponent that could end his life with a single squeeze. 

Relentlessly, the self-proclaimed macho man launched one calculated arm after the other towards the boy. He began to grind his teeth together as he irritatingly watched his target continued slip between the cracks of each attack. 

With every hook, the redhead ducked.

With every jab, the redhead pulled back.

With every uppercut, the redhead darted away. 

**Karma was clearly on the defensive.**

_However..._

**He was evading every attack like a pro.**

_This prick could crush a grown man's skull._

_If he gets his hands on me, it's game over._

Karma listed his limited options, not doubting his judgement for a second. 

_The odds may not be in my favour, but when have they ever been?_

_I won't lose to this moron._

He swiftly side glanced to the raven head, catching her wide eyed expression with his steady gaze, winking slyly. 

_**I made a promise after all.** _

After a few moments, Grip halted his deadly assaults, narrowing his eyebrows at the redhead who was grinning coyly before him. 

"You can't win this with just defensive maneuvers _hun,"_ he stated coldly, his fingers bulging with veins as he tensed. 

_**"What's your game?"** _

Karma snickered slightly, keeping up his usual arrogant composure with no effort, even in a time like this. 

"My _game?"_ he mocked, cracking his neck on each side.

The redhead raised his guard once more as he began to do a boxer jog on the spot. 

_"Relax, this is a fight I want to win fair and square."_

"A proper battle to the death _hun,"_ Grip smirked, baring his teeth like a vicious dog. 

_**"Just my style."** _

Karma charged towards his target, springing off of his right foot into the air before drop kicking forcibly upon his descent. 

The movement was too quick for Grip to counter, instead relying on his instincts to lean backwards to dodge the brutal attack.

After catching the assassin off guard, Karma dropped low to the ground before one-handedly spinning his body 360 degrees, aiming to trip his opponent up with his out stretched leg. 

Grip launched himself into a back flip making the leg pass under his feet, pushing off the ground as his hands touched the floor to give himself enough strength and speed to complete the maneuver. 

The macho man steadied his stern gaze back on the redhead as Karma sprang back onto his feet, grinning tauntingly in the process. 

_That little shit.._

The two hurtled towards each other, both with their guard up as if they had entered a boxing ring. 

Grip threw a couple of consecutive punches at the redhead, each in which the boy dodged by the skin of his teeth. The assassin suddenly switched up his tactics by following through with a right side kick, catching the student by surprise. 

In a split second decision, Karma kneed his opponent in the balls as the area was left wide open during the attack. 

This left Grip to critically falter his movements, recoiling to the ground as he tried to recover from the savage assault. 

_This is my chance!_

Just as Karma leapt towards his fallen enemy hastily, Grip pulled out a canister similar to the one the students had seen the previous assassin use, releasing the all-too-familiar gas at point blank range. 

_Huh?!_

Karma ceased his movements completely before crumbling to the ground.

Grip caught him by the hair, clamping his hand over the boy's seemingly unconscious face as he lifted him up into the air. 

"Sorry kid, but I have a schedule to keep _hun."_

The students gasped in horror at the dirty trick laid out by the assassin, unnerved by what the next few minutes might have in store with Karma out of commission. 

Katsuna stared at the situation unfolding in front of her, unbelieving of the circumstances.

_No way.._

She bit down hard on her tongue, seeking to wake up from this nightmare. 

No use. 

_Karma.... h-he lost?_

~~~~~

**_"I won't let that happen. I promise."_ **

~~~~~

_No._

~~~~~

**_"It's that I've never once broken a promise."_ **

~~~~~ ** _  
_**

_He wouldn't back down like this._

Katsuna peered back up from her thoughts, narrowing her golden green orbs at the redhead hanging from the assassin's hold before cupping her hands around her mouth and inhaling. 

**"WAKE UP YOU ASSHOLE!"**

The deafening declaration shot through the hallway, stunning her classmates and the target as they whipped their attention towards the raven head. 

Grip managed to play off his composure after the instant shock, followed by a snigger gradually erupting from his lips. 

"I don't know what you hoped to accomplish with that _hun,"_ he snickered pitifully, turning his head to face the redhead in his hand. 

"But for that little stunt, I'll take great pleasure in- _HUH!"_

A cloud of dark purple fumes engulfed the assassin's head along with his words. 

In surprise, he loosened his grip on the now smirking redhead before hunching over as he coughed violently.

 _"H-How did you.."_ he groaned weakly, resting his hands on his wobbling knees.

"Wow, who knew we'd both use the same tactics?!" Karma snickered coyly, lifting the handkerchief from his lips as the smoke began to disperse. 

"I snatched this handy thing off the assassin before you, turns out it came in pretty useful!"

He chucked the empty canister across the floor, raking his slender fingers through his crimson hair.

 _"B-but I.. I sprayed you.."_ Grip stammered, trying to overcome the poison that had now begun to circulate throughout his body. 

"You s-should be.. paralysed by now.." 

The macho man managed to summon up the last of his remaining strength in a lunge forward, a silver knife glinting in the moonlight pointed directly at the mischievous boy. 

With ease, Karma grabbed hold of his attacker's stretched out arm, twisting it back before placing all his weight behind him making the assassin slam chest first into the ground. 

"Come on guys, you could help me out here instead of standing around like idiots," Karma called playfully, barely being able to restrain his target any longer.

"We're gonna need every hand we've got to keep this crazy bastard down."

~~~~~

With the target duct-tapped and harmless, the students could loosen up a bit. 

"I still don't understand how you managed to see that coming," Grip challenged, gazing up at the class victor in distress from his uncomfortable position. 

"There's no way you could have known I'd pull something like that."

"It's simple really," Karma grinned, squatting down beside the man. 

"I knew that if you were on an independent mission, you wouldn't have used a dirty tactic like that." 

"However, due to being on someone else's timetable, you wouldn't have had a choice in the matter."

"So you see," the redhead smirked, gesturing with his hands as he spoke.

"You would have had to use any method's necessary to get the job done." 

"All I had to do was push you to a limit, so you'd be forced to use that method." 

Grip exhaled loudly, completely exhausted and amazed by the student's intellectual skill. 

_"Damn.. you got me."_

"Well, we're not done yet!" 

_Huh?_

Curiously, Grip peered back up to the mercury orbs which were now tinged with something dark and sinister. 

"No, not at all," Karma chuckled sadistically, revealing a tube of deadly wasabi paste from his trouser pocket.

_**"We're just getting started!"** _

~~~~~

"Are you sure it was okay to leave him back there like that?" Fuwa sighed, sweat dropping slightly. 

After clearing their previous obstacle thanks to a certain redhead's actions, the class proceeded up the stairs, gradually climbing closer to the final stage.

Kataoka side eyed the girl, shooting her a violent _lets-just-forget-that-ever-happened_ look. 

Fuwa gulped, nodding hesitantly to say she understood the message. 

_"WAKE UP~hmph!"_

Katsuna covered the boy's mouth with her hand in a split second, brimming red with embarrassment from her earlier announcement. 

_**What the hell is wrong with me?** _

_No way he's gonna let me live this down..._

_I might as well die right now._

Just then, a warm wet sensation coated the palm of her hand, making her instinctively retract it into her chest. 

_"WHAT THE HELL?!"_ Katsuna snorted in disgust, vigorously wiping the spit on the shirt of the redhead who was now in hysterics.

 _"What goes around, comes around~"_ Karma chuckled teasingly, poking a finger into the girl's pink cheeks. 

_Humph!_

Katsuna turned her face away from the prying eyes of the boy, swatting the finger away as if it was a fly. 

_"You were worried about me, weren't you~?"_

The raven head could hear his irritating smirk through his words, the feeling making her cringe up in utter exasperation. 

_**"As if I'd ever express concern for someone like you."** _

In truth, Katsuna had been anxious. 

Afraid of what Grip would do had he not have lost. 

Afraid that her classmates wouldn't make it out alive.

But most of all, 

**She was afraid that Karma would break his word.**

And behind that fear lurked a question that occupied her thoughts. 

_**Why am I depending on him?** _


	47. Let's go Clubbing!

_In truth, Katsuna had been anxious._

_Afraid of what Grip would do had he not have lost._

_Afraid that her classmates wouldn't make it out alive._

_But most of all,_

**_She was afraid that Karma would break his word._ **

_And behind that fear lurked a question that occupied her thoughts._

_**Why am I depending on him?** _

~~~~~

**"NO WAY AM I WEARING THAT!"**

_"It'll just be for 5 minutes~"_

**"DON'T MAKE ME DO THIS!"**

_"You'll look fabulous~"_

**"I'M NOT A GIRL!!!"**

_"Hold him down!"_

_"Stop squirming!"_

_"You're making this harder than it needs to be!"_

_"Ahh~ we're done!"_ Fuwa cheered proudly, as she gazed at her masterpiece. 

"I think I've officially hit rock bottom," Nagisa deadpanned, his soul now having left his body. 

The blue haired student had been forced into a revealing outfit with the low cut black top leaving his pale shoulders exposed. The tight fitted checkered skirt was cut short, teasing a section of his thighs that was not covered by his black high socks. 

"I know you hate this but can you please put up with it," Kaede pleaded, placing her palms together, "Just until we let the others in?"

Nagisa exhaled heavily, retracing Ritsu's plan in his head. 

The students had reached the club floor where the resort bar was located. There was no way to continue with the plan unless they took a detour through the bar, in hopes that they could unlock the door leading up to the next floor. 

Ritsu had suggested an alternative that would look less suspicious. 

Instead of the whole class wandering through the club, it would be better if only the girls were to make the trip. However, Karasuma had dismissed the idea immediately, fretting that they would be at risk if they went alone. 

So to place their dear teacher's worries at ease, Karma had snagged the opportunity to propose that Nagisa should tag along, due to his feminine appeal. 

That brings us back to the present, as Nagisa was dragged into the girls bathroom to change, much to his discomfort. 

_"F-Fine..."_ Nagisa agreed reluctantly, his cheeks turning a slight pink as his willingness. 

_I'll do it for E Class._

"That's the spirit!" Yada squealed, clasping onto the boy's hand before tugging him out the door. 

_This is my life..._

~~~~~

Purple and blue strobe lights intermingled across the room, creating an electric feel that lit up the atmosphere. The blaring bass pumped music that shot a spark of adrenaline directly to the heart, both beating rhythmically together. Dancing bodies tangled together on the neon dance floor with the high ceiling lights hanging down like stars. 

A long lit up bar was placed towards the side of the room, serving the scent of alcohol. Velvet booths were dotted around the premises, filled with drunk teens feeding off of the smiles provided by the hypnotic feel of the air. 

"This is so cool," Okano simpered, scanning the nightclub, "I can't believe they're providing minors with alcoholic beverages, no wonder this place is kept on a tight leash." 

"Let's not lose track of the plan," Hayami stated calmly, her eyes trained on the door that was located on the other side of the bar. 

"How are you feeling about this?" Kaede inquired, side glancing at the raven haired girl who seemed to have her head in the clouds. 

_"Katsuna?"_

"Huh?" Katsuna turned to look at her classmate's stare, slightly wide eyed.

"Oh, I guess it's alright."

"You okay?" Kaede smiled hesitantly, taking in Katsuna's distant expression. 

"Yeah yeah," she responded quickly, returning the small smile.

"Just got a few things on my mind, that's all."

Kaede nodded slightly, empathising with her classmate's worry. 

Time was running out for E Class. 

It had been 40 minutes since they had gotten the phone call. 

With only 20 minutes left on the clock, the doubts had started to seep through the cracks of the students' determination. 

_I have to get that antidote..._

Rio's crumpled state flashed in Katsuna's thoughts, making the raven head grit her teeth in shame.

_I have to make things right._

Just then, a firm hand gripped onto her forearm, jolting the girl out of her thoughts. 

_"Baby~ you're looking fine tonight~"_

Katsuna peered up to see older looking teen, reeking of alcohol and cigarettes, wearing a backwards cap. His neck was draped in a golden chains, with visible tattoos snaking down his muscular arms. 

_You can't be serious right now.._

_"Why don't you come with me back to my booth, it's nice and secluded so no-one-"_

"Let me stop you right there," Katsuna interrupted, covering his mouth with a hand.

She swiftly grabbed onto his pinky, bending it backwards until it cracked. 

The sleazy thug screamed in pain but the noise was muffled underneath the hand. His eyes began to water as he stared at Katsuna in terror. 

**"Piss off."**

The man nodded his head rapidly, sprinting away whilst clutching hold of his injured finger. 

"That was a bit excessive, wasn't it?" Kaede commented cautiously. 

"People like that need to be sent a clear message," Katsuna replied nonchalantly, rubbing her arm soothingly. 

_You can't just grab onto someone like that..._

"Plus, it's not like I shattered the finger, only dislocated temporarily so with the right care, it'll snap straight back into place." 

_"R-right.."_ Kaede stumbled, following after her.

"Where's Nagisa anyway, I don't see him?" 

"Someone weirdo picked him up a while back," Yada explained, a small smirk playing on her lips.

"He seemed pretty infatuated with him." 

_"I see.."_ Kaede chuckled nervously, diverting her eyes to the side. 

_Poor guy.._

~~~~~

"Well I scouted the door, but there's a problem," Hayami reported, slyly nodding towards the beefy guard blocking the route. 

"That guy is giving me the serious ' _don't-fuck-with-me'_ vibes," Fuwa shivered, observing the man's grim expression. 

"Dammit, how are we supposed to get passed him?" Kataoka cursed, placing a finger on her chin as she began to brainstorm. 

"Please, I have to go now!" 

The girls turned to the direction the familiar high pitched voice, taking in the scene. 

Nagisa was practically propelling himself forwards in an attempt to get away from a certain someone who was hot on his trail.

The guy seemed only a few years older then themselves, with short cut brown hair covered with a red cap. He didn't seem as sleazy as the last guy, more like someone who was trying just a little too hard to fit in. 

"You can't leave, not without seeing my dance moves!"

"I'm good thanks!" 

"Can someone please tell me why Nagisa sounds like a 8 year old girl?" Kaede sweat dropped. 

The group watched as the persistent teen began to perform the "Macarena" on the dance floor, alongside an dreadful version of the "Moonwalk," followed with a god awful "Shimmy".

 _"What the hell am I witnessing right now?"_ Yada cringed, staring at the boy who didn't seem to be able to read the room. 

_"I have a feeling this is going to scar me for a while,"_ Okano shuddered. 

_"This guy is too much, his weapons are too great for me to counter!"_ Kataoka exclaimed, shielding her eyes from the intensity. 

Just as the boy was about to conduct a finishing "Leg Drop", he accidentally knocked against someone, spilling their drink all over their front. 

"So you think you're a wise guy HUH?!" the thug growled, lifting the dancer by his shirt collar. 

"W-what n-no!" the boy stammered, sweating like crazy. 

"SAY THAT AGAIN YOU LITTLE BITCH!"

"Hey, this may be our chance," Yada whispered to Okano, pointing a thumb towards the security guard.

Okano nodded, returning her focus back on the scene that was unravelling before her. The brown haired student strolled up smoothly to the threatening thug, tapping lightly on his shoulder to gain his slight attention. 

Just as he turned his head to look at the girl, Okano flipped herself 180 degrees, connecting her shoe with her opponents jaw. 

The impact sent the thug tumbling to floor, ridden unconscious by the precise blow. 

"Nice hit!" Yada congratulated, high fiving the Class E's gymnast star. 

"Hey Mister!" Kataoka called, gaining the attention of the security guard. 

"This guy seems to have a few too many drinks, he might need some help."

She pointed towards the thug lying face down on the floor, a pool of saliva forming around his mouth. 

_"Just my luck.."_ the guard grumbled, nodding in acknowledgement towards the girl before carrying the passed out teen away. 

"Let's go guys!" Kataoka called, once the guard was out of sight. 

The group passed through the doors, unlocking the route for their other classmates. 

Katsuna glanced back towards Nagisa and the boy who seemed to be chatting about something. She watched as Nagisa gave the boy a bright smile before turning to walk towards the exit. 

"What was that about?" she asked, matching her pace beside the blue head.

"Ah, it's nothing really," Nagisa shrugged, a small smile gracing his lips.

_"Just giving him a little advice."_

~~~~~

 _"So tell us the tea Nagisa~"_ Karma jeered, swinging an arm around his friend's shoulders. 

_"Did any guys get a bit, let's say, hands on with ya~?"_

"You're really milking it aren't you.." Nagisa sighed, wanting the memory to disappear as soon as it came. 

_"How could I not?!"_ the redhead snickered, pulling out his phone from his trouser pocket. 

"This is definitely going in my blackmail folder!"

He held up the phone screen, revealing a photograph the crimson haired devil had sneakily captured just before Nagisa changed back into his regular clothes. 

**"DELETE THAT RIGHT NOW KARMA!"**

"To be honest, that dress looked good on you," Isogai grinned. 

**"NOT YOU TOO!!"**

"What I mean is, pulling off both genders is a great skill to have in the assassin's line of work," Isogai explained, even though it was hardly a compliment in Nagisa's mind. 

**"I'd really appreciate it if we drop the subject now!"**

_"Nope, never gonna happen!"_


	48. A Time to Shine

The students were now coming up to the VIP floor, just an arm's length away from their target. 

"We're in this operations final phase," Karasuma reported, still hunched over from the effects of the poisonous gas. 

"Keep your guard up." 

The class nodded quietly in response, their nerves tingling with a mixture of excitement and anticipation as they crept through the corridor like mice. 

_10 minutes left on the clock._

_Will we make it in time?_

"Christ, those guys look like they eat regular cops for breakfast.." Sosuke muttered under his breath, referring to the two beefy men guarding the VIP entrance. 

The class was hidden by the wall, their faces peeping round the corner to catch a glance of their next opponents.

The snarky faced duo stood crossed armed, out in the open, with their bulging muscles sculpting their entire form. 

"VIP guests make it a given to recruit their own security," Ritsu informed wearily. 

"This isn't going to be easy." 

"Like it matters how difficult it'll be," Terasaka grumbled, cracking his fists. 

"We still got to get through them, no matter what." 

"Precisely right," Koro-sensei perked up, gaining the meathead's attention. 

"I believe those weapons you're hiding in your bag will do the trick just fine." 

"You stalking me now, octopus?" Terasaka accused, slipping his backpack off his shoulder. 

Having unzipped it, the boy delved in to retrieved two stun stick tasers. 

"What is it with the creepy stuff people have in their bags?" Sosuke exclaimed as his eyes glossed their defence tools. 

"We have Karma with some bdsm face clips, not to mention frickin ghost peppers and now Terasaka with long ass taser sticks!"

"Calm down man, we're literally assassinating a bio-engineered octopus," Yoshida sighed, placing a hand on the class mom's shoulder. 

"Why do you even have those anyway?" 

"Well I brought them just in case we could use them for the sea urchin," Terasaka explained, standing from his crouched position.

"But I figured it wouldn't even phase him." 

"You're going to have to take both guards down at once," Karasuma instructed, turning his focus towards his brawn for brains student.

Terasaka stepped towards his black haired friend, passing him one of the stun sticks with a grim smirk.

Yoshida returned it with a slight nod of acknowledgement. 

"Kimura, we're gonna need you to distract them," Terasaka revealed, facing his brown haired classmate. 

"Wait me?" the boy replied hastily, physically retracting from the statement. 

"But how the hell am I supposed to do that?" 

"I don't know, figure it out," Terasaka shrugged, making the boy sweat drop with nerves. 

"I've got an idea if you're not a pushover," Karma snickered, his devilish horns peeking out from his red locks. 

The crimson head began whispering his classmate's ear, his voice too quiet for the others to hear. Kimura listened carefully, his facial expression becoming gradually more on edge with each passing second. 

"R-right.." the brown head exhaled, slouching slightly in his composure. 

"Go get them!" Karma smirked playfully, waving the boy off as he disappeared round the corner.

"Do I even want to know what you said?" Katsuna breathed, side glancing at Karma's expression. 

"Just listen," he jested, barely able to contain the chuckled within his tone. 

"What do you want kid?" a brutish voice spoke up, altering the nearby students. 

There was a short pause before Kimura's voice could be heard. 

_"The janitor here said he took out the trash last night, he must forgot a couple of pieces if you guys are still here~"_

_"I mean like come on, you're so ugly that your face looks like it was set on fire and someone tried to put it out with a hammer~"_

_"Anyway, you've already taken up 10 seconds of my time that i'll never get back, hope I never see you peasants again."_

.

..

...

**"COME BACK HERE YOU LITTLE PUNK!"**

**"WHO THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU ARE?"**

_"I should've expected something like that.."_ Katsuna groaned, facepalming herself as Terasaka and Yoshida tasered the aggravated security guards as they passed the corridor. 

Karma hysterical laughter could be heard amongst the commotion, as the boys' finished up on their now unconscious opponents. 

"Well done Terasaka," Koro-sensei congratulated, proud of his student's efforts.

"You've definitely grown to be a part of this class." 

"Yeah whatever," the meathead murmured, attempting to keep up his beastly persona, but even he couldn't hide his secretly touched heart. 

"Now, it wouldn't be such a bad idea to do a bit of ruffling in the pockets," the beach ball suggested, the students catching on to his intuition.

Terasaka managed to find a gun on each of the guards, the class rooted in their positions at the sight of such deadly weapons. 

Bbs were one thing.. but guns fully loaded with real live ammo were a completely different ballgame. 

"Chiba, Hayami," Koro-sensei announced in a solemn tone, making the two students pull their focus from the weapons to their teacher's face.

"I believe you two should be the ones who have them." 

"You can't be serious.." Hayami started, gaping slightly at the idea.

"I'm completely serious," Koro-sensei responded heavily. 

"Mr Karasuma hasn't fully recovered from the gas yet, he isn't able to handle a gun in his state."

"The fact of the matter is that, you two are our best sharp shooters."

"That said, I won't allow any killing, you are still minors after all, even if you are training to be assassins." 

"Sir.. this seems a little out of depth for us.." Chiba mumbled as he was given the metallic weapon. 

"Do not underestimate your skill, I know you have what it takes to do this," Koro-sensei coached, his encouragement pressing the two students on to the challenge. 

"Ritsu, what's next for us?" Karasuma inquired. 

"The following stage in our infiltration is the VIP only emergency stair case," the virtual student informed, bringing up a map of the layout for the building.

"There's an empty concert hall that'll we'll have to weasel ourselves through to access it." 

"Proceed with caution, we're nearly there." 

~~~~~

Upon arriving at entrance to the concert hall, Karasuma ushered to the class to stay silent before quietly pushing the door open. He peeked his head round slyly to do a quick survey of the area and proceeded creep into the space with the students following his pace. 

It was just as Ritsu had described. 

Completely empty. 

Rows and rows of unoccupied cushioned seats sat facing the main stage area located at the front of the room. 

"I swear to god, if someone jump scares me.." Sosuke muttered faintly, the hairs on his neck standing up in thrilling suspense. 

The students advanced stealthily along the back rows, their senses on high alert.

"Someone's coming, crouch down!" Karasuma announced in a hushed tone, dropping to the ground swiftly just as the sound of the front concert door creaked open. 

Using the lack of light and the seats as cover, the students listened attentively to the footsteps on the stage floor, the sound deafening amongst the heavy silence. 

The rhythmic noises came to a sudden stop, as if the perpetrator was sharply detecting the area. 

**BANG!**

The ear splitting cry of the gunshot cut through the weighted atmosphere, instinctively making the class hitched their breaths in surprise. 

Katsuna snapped her wide eyes to Karma's, the pair undoubtedly sharing the same thought. 

_**He know's we're here.** _

_"Ah~ my hunch was right,"_ a venomous voice seeped through the silence, prickling the air.

"Though, I thought I was hired to kill some shitty super being, _so how'd I wind up dealing with a load of snot faced pimply brats?"_

"No matter, you and I both know that it'd be easier to just surrender." 

"Admit it, you haven't got the stomach for homici-" 

**BANG!**

Another shot rang out under the blanket of darkness, however, this time it seemed to have come from the student's side. 

Katsuna side glanced to a moving shadow to her right, gathering that it was likely to be Hayami attempting to gain some sort of upper hand on the situation. 

Though, it seemed like it had only made matters worse. 

"Aha!" the voice sniggered vulgarly, as if he lusted for the sense of violence. 

In a blink of an eye, the blinding white stage lights burst brightly, illuminating the entirety of the desolate concert hall. 

This set Class E at a huge disadvantage against their opponent as, not only now could they not hide amongst the darkness; they couldn't gain an visual on the target without being rendered sightless for a couple of crucial moments. 

_"Now that I know you have live ammo,"_ the assassin snided, dropping the remote on the stage floor below. 

_**"There's no need to hold back."** _

With that said, the assassin fired a bullet in the exact direction of Hayami, the life threatening piece of metal barely skimming the girl's cheek. 

"H-how did he.." Hayami gasped under her breath, tenderly feeling a thin line of warm blood trickle down her cheek. 

"I never forget the place of my enemy once they give away their location," he announced arrogantly, spinning the gun around his middle finger. 

_"I call it my parlour trick of death."_

A low pitched snort was heard beside Katsuna, as she side-eyed the redhead in utter disappointment. She sent the boy a _you've-got-to-be-kidding-me_ look as Karma shrugged innocently in response with a wide grin on his lips.

"Hang tight Hayami!" a familiar voice declared. 

"Don't let that one missed bullet dampen your potential." 

"Stay put and wait for my signal."

Koro-sensei's instructions rooted the student, shaking her out of her surprise. 

**"You shouldn't have let me see you!"**

The roaring assassin began firing rapidly at the beach ball sized teacher on the front row seat, directly in front of him. His wicked smile began to falter as he realised that his bullets were consistently being deflected straight off of Koro-sensei's ultimate defence form. 

"Ho Ho, a military gun loving killer vs my class of junior high aspiring assassins," Koro-sensei chortled, taking delight in watching his opponent's sour facial expression.

"My senses are tingling with exhilaration!" 

_"Why won't you die you ugly yellow ball bastard!?"_ the assassin bellowed, grinding his teeth together as continued to empty his rounds. 

"Right, Kimura, run five seats to your left!" Koro-sensei proclaimed thunderously over the sounds of blaring gunfire. 

"Terasaka and Yoshida, dash 3 seats to either side!" 

"Kaede, 2 rows forward through the gap! 

"Karma, Katsuna, move 9 seats right!" 

"Isogai, 4 seats left!"

"Fuwa, scamper 3 rows back!"

"Nice try scrambling them up!" the assassin sneered, seizing his fire as he listened carefully to the orders.

_Now I know their positions and their names-HUH!?_

"PONYTAIL, 5 SEATS RIGHT!"

"STUDENT 12, MOVE LEFT 3 SPACES"

"STUDENT 4 AND 5, TRAIN YOUR CAMERA ON THE TARGET SO RITSU CAN KEEP AN EYE ON HIS MOVEMENTS AND RELY THE INFORMATION BACK THE CHIBA!"

"MOTORCYCLE FAN, DIVE ACROSS TO THE RIGHT SET OF SEATS!"

"THE STUDENT WHO CHECKED OUT THE LOCAL MAID CAFE FOR FUN, ONLY TO FIND OUT THAT HE ACTUALLY KINDA LIKED IT, KICK UP A RUCKUS TO KEEP THE TARGET OCCUPIED!" 

**"THAT'S MY BUSINESS ONLY! HOW'D YOU KNOW THAT YOU YELLOW FREAK? I'LL KILL YOU FOR FOLLOWING ME AROUND!"** Terasaka screeched, banging violently on the back of the seat in front of him in embarrassment. 

"THIS IS YOUR TIME CHIBA," Koro-sensei announced, alerting the boy's attention.

"TAKE YOUR SHOT!" 

**BANG!**

The noise of the fired bullet resounded through the concert hall, leaving every student holding their breath. 

.

..

...

 _"Ha- Haha!!"_ the assassin cackled disgustingly, regaining his composure slightly. 

_"Just where did you think you were aim-UGH!"_

The students watched in absolute shock as the a set of stage lights that had been previously hung from the ceiling, collided with the side of their opponent, sending him flying to the ground across the floor like a rag doll.

They stared at his twitching body that laid spread out on the stage floor for a moment before erupting in a cheer and charging to the front. 

"Bag him up guys!" Yoshida grinned determinedly, unzipping his bag to retrieve the binding gear. 

"Nice shot Chiba," Hayami congratulated, high fiving her fellow shooting partner. 

"Is your cheek alright?" the black haired boy replied wearily, pulling out a plaster from his backpack before passing it to the girl. 

Hayami smiled in acknowledgement, proud of her partners efforts. 

_"Oh ho~ so what's this about a maid cafe huh?"_ Karma teased, making the brute scowl in utter disgust. 

_"I swear, I'll kill that sea urchin.."_ Terasaka growled, glaring daggers at Koro-sensei who was still sat smiling like a child. 

Katsuna gazed down at the now unconscious target with a solemn expression; an unsettling feeling gripping hold of her chest as her thoughts drowned out the noise of her classmates' chatter.

_**Thinking about it now.. the person behind all this seems to be misusing his assets.** _

She side-eyed Hayami's wounded face, analysing it's precise mark. 

_This assassin knew his shit.. if he was placed in a different setting, we would surely have lost._

_Not to mention Karma's opponent.. wouldn't it not have been easier for him, if he had just snuck behind and crushed us instead of waiting around in clear sight?_

Katsuna returned her focus on a spot on the floor, connecting the dots in her head. 

_This mastermind behind this doesn't think like an assassin.. because he isn't one._

_Come on._

_**Think.** _

_Who could be in connection with the principal?_

_Why did they go so far as to poison half the class?_

_No way it's just to claim the reward money....w_ _hich means it's someone with a some sort of grudge against Class E._

_A personal vendetta._

_But.._

_**Who?** _


	49. Unmask the Culprit

_This mastermind behind this doesn't think like an assassin.. because he isn't one._

_Come on._

_**Think.** _

_Who could be in connection with the principal?_

_Why did they go so far as to poison half the class?_

_No way it's just to claim the reward money....w_ _hich means it's someone with a some sort of grudge against Class E._

_A personal vendetta._

_But.._

_**Who?** _

~~~~~

Karasuma snuck his head round the corner, surveying the surrounds silently. 

After beating their last opponent, the class had made their way up to the final floor where the final boss had been located. 

There was a large black spinning chair placed facing a desk with multiple computer screens on top. The room would have been deathly slightly, if not for the low pitched hum of the machines as they worked. 

Karasuma peered closely at the brightly lit screen, gathering that the target had been watching the surveillance cameras dotted around the hotel resort. One displayed a clear view of the bed-ridden students that had fallen sick to the virus. 

He grit his teeth at the reminder before signalling to the rest of the class with a hand movement to advance. Wordlessly, the students slipped out from behind their cover, using a secret ninja style walk to move inaudibly towards the chair that their target was sat in. 

Voicelessly, Karasuma gestured to the metallic case by the foot of the chair, strapped with plastic explosives. It was likely that the antidote was hidden inside.

The teacher pulled out his gun, training it on the detonator situated on the desk surface, so if in the case the target spotted them and their first reaction was to go for the button, Karasuma could shoot their arm in the process. 

_"It's nearly time,"_ he thought to himself, nodding to the students to get ready to pounce. 

_3_

_2_

_1_

_Now!_

**"You didn't think it would be this easy did you?"**

The abrupt statement caught the class of guard, gasping slightly as a haul of identical detonators were thrown from behind the chair. 

**"Don't take me lightly, I won't be fooled by a group of junior high brats!"**

_That voice._

Katsuna widened her eyes at the revelation, connecting the dots in her head. 

_It's more sinister than I remember.._

"I reached out to a few professionals before we came on this trip," Karasuma revealed, aiming the gun sharply at the chair. 

_Of course.._

"Three of them freelance killers, but the other one was a old colleague who went off the grid once caught embezzling government funds." 

_Someone in connection with the principal.._

The figure slowly rose from his seat, turning to the rooted class with a crazed sadistic expression. 

_It makes sense now.._

**"What the hell do you think you're doing Takaoka?!"**

Class 3-E's ex physical education teacher stood before them, laughing cruelly at each student's horrified expression. 

_Akira Takaoka._

"You were always top dog back in the day Karasuma, never giving a damn about me or anyone else under you," Takaoka sneered, baring his teeth menacingly at his previous superior. 

"It'll be me reaping in the goods once the octopus is dead, you'll be licking my boot till you retire!" 

"This goes way beyond raking in the reward money!" Karasuma growled, narrowing his eyes at the ex-military official.

"All will be revealed in time," Takaoka grinned darkly, lifting the case from the floor. 

"Now if you don't mind, let's move this joyous catch up to the rooftop."

_"I have a fun little surprise I know you're dying to see."_

~~~~~

The ice-cold breeze blew right through Katsuna's cream sweater but she took no notice as she stood rooted to her position on the platform. 

Every eye was trained on the ex teacher that had once again struck fear in Class 3-E. 

There was no telling what would follow in the next few minutes. 

"Stealing the government's money, poisoning junior high kids with a lethal virus.. are you insane?" Karasuma accused, glaring daggers at his former subordinate. 

"Oh please," Takaoka scoffed, clutching hold of the detonated towards his chest. 

"If you had simply followed my instructions and headed up here with the two runts like I had previously asked, then you would have had your antidote in no time."

"However, you insisted on creating this whole elaborate scheme to ambush me and force the antidote into your possession." 

"My plan would have worked flawlessly," Takaoka continued, a sly grin appearing on his face.

"You see, I was going to tie that blue haired squirt up and dump him in my bathtub filled with anti-sensei bbs, along with the octopus before covering the whole thing in concrete."

"Now, either the target can touch the bbs once he turns back to his original form and blow everything sky high, including the brat."

"Though, we all know he wouldn't do that to his _beloved children,"_ Takaoka drawled, his face contorting into a demented uncanny expression.

**"So I figured he'd opt to kill himself instead of harming one of his student!"**

The class physically recoiled at the ghastliness of his words, sickened to their stomachs as the concept of the plan seeped into their minds. 

"You don't think you'd ever get away with this?!" Koro-sensei bellowed, veins visibly bulging out of his face. 

_"Actually,_ I believe I have a pretty good chance," he responded arrogantly, taking in the deathly expression with a hint of excitement. 

"After the disgusting way you treated me, I think my assassination attempt is completely justified." 

"Do you have any idea what it was like being spat on by the colleagues I once respected?!" 

"To be beaten by a **mere cheating whore** and have your reputation **absolutely shattered** as a result?!" he screamed, pointing to Katsuna who stood rock still. 

**"I'LL TAKE THE HUMILIATION I SUFFERED AND SHOVE IT BACK IN THEIR FACES WITH RESULTS!"**

Takaoka huffed loudly, out of breath from his threatening rant.

"So all this is really about settling a score," Karma taunted, directing a vicious glare upon the brute. 

_"I dare you to try."_

"Listen here, Katsuna had every right to do what she did to you!" Isogai scowled. 

"She played by your rules so you don't have anyone to blame but yourself!" 

"Despite any outcome, there's no way we'd ever respect you!" Terasaka barked. 

"All you are is a snivelling coward picking on a kid!" 

**"HOW DARE YOU!"** Takaoka roared, bits of saliva shooting out of his mouth uncontrollably. 

**"YOU THINK YOU CAN TALK LIKE THAT TO SOMEONE AS POWERFUL AS ME?!"**

**"I HOLD THE LIVES OF YOUR CLASSMATES IN MY HAND OR HAVE YOU ALREADY FORGOTTEN?!"**

He smirked in satisfaction after muting the class. 

None dared to piss him off anymore for the sake of their friends' frail states. 

A sinister sensation scraped down Katsuna's chest like a fingernail as she felt Takaoka's crooked eyes land on her. 

"Up to the helipad now," he commanded coldly, turning his back on the students. 

_"Just you and me."_

Katsuna stared blankly for a moment, her mind scanning through her limited options. 

_If I falter much longer, there's no doubt he'll kill everyone._

_It really is the only way._

With her decision made, Katsuna took a step forward towards the fate that was completely inevitable. 

A hand shot out before she could go any further, clasping onto her wrist with great strength. She knew who it belonged to just from the familiar warmth residing in the touch. 

**"To hell if I'm letting you go up there."**

Katsuna clenched her jaw tightly, frustration first filling her thoughts before exhaling slightly, relaxing it into a grim smile. She turned her head around to face the stubborn redhead stood behind her, his expression hidden under his crimson locks. 

"You have to let go Karma," she muttered under her breath, just loud enough for the boy to hear. 

"Don't you get it?" Karma mumbled harshly, spitting out his words.

_"He'll kill you."_

"I need to at least try," Katsuna responded, bitterly believing in her words. 

_I refuse to let anyone else be harmed by my mistakes._

_Everyone's doing their best in this sickening situation._

_Professor Bitch._

_Karasuma-sensei._

_Karma._

_Nagisa._

_Hayami._

_Chiba._

_I refuse to sit back and let another person fight the battle I should of fought alone._

**"I won't lose."**

The gravity of her words sparked a familiar ache in Karma. 

An ache he still couldn't figure out that resided deep within his chest. 

Reluctantly, he let go of Katsuna's wrist, allowing her to follow Takaoka up the staircase towards the helipad. 

_Please.. just be careful._


	50. Spillage of Secrets

_"Don't you get it?" Karma mumbled harshly, spitting out his words._

_"He'll kill you."_

_"I need to at least try," Katsuna responded, bitterly believing in her words._

_I refuse to let anyone else be harmed by my mistakes._

_Everyone's doing their best in this sickening situation._

_Professor Bitch._

_Karasuma-sensei._

_Karma._

_Nagisa._

_Hayami._

_Chiba._

_I refuse to sit back and let another person fight the battle I should of fought alone._

**_"I won't lose."_ **

_The gravity of her words sparked a familiar ache in Karma._

_An ache he still couldn't figure out that resided deep within his chest._

_Reluctantly, he let go of Katsuna's wrist, allowing her to follow Takaoka up the staircase towards the helipad._

_Please.. just be careful._

~~~~~

Each side stood facing one another amongst the crisp evening breeze, neither faltering their prolonged eye contact for even a second. 

Takaoka grinned manically at his opponent's courage as if daring her to continue with a hint of sadistic pleasure. Gradually, he retrieved a remote from his left jacket pocket, holding it high in the air for all eyes to see. 

"Just so we're on the right page," he proclaimed, gesturing towards her classmates who had managed to scramble to a safe viewing spot on the building beside them. 

"I'm not letting anyone interrupt our little _catch up_ time." 

Without missing a beat, he pressed down on the button, causing two bombs to detonate, destroying both passages connecting the the two buildings. 

There was nowhere to escape to now. 

"Finally!" Takaoka clapped, smiling hysterically as he took in the grim expressions.

_"Isn't that a sight."_

He chuckled to himself, letting his cruel arrogance consume his composure. 

Katsuna stayed silent, wanting to analyse her target in every way before making any moves that might result in her failure. 

_An ex-military officer with years of experience behind him._

_If I hadn't used Centralisation back then.. I might stand a chance now._

_He knows that move now so it's likely he's going to expect it._

_The only way to win is-_

**"Yumeno Rikumi."**

Katsuna froze in place upon hearing the words she'd buried within so long ago. 

With her heart hammering violently in both ears, she stared down at the concrete below her feet in utter anguish, attempting to structure the thoughts that flashed passed like Ferraris on a racetrack.

Vile laughter escaped Takaoka's chapped lips, adding gasoline to the already raging fire that burned hauntingly inside her. 

_"H-how do you.."_ she muttered fiercely, her mindset settling on anger as a first response. 

Katsuna lifted her head, spitting flames as her golden green orbs pierced into his line of sight. 

**"How do you know that name?!"**

Takaoka smirked in outspoken satisfaction after having successfully gotten under her skin. The concept provided him with a grisly sense of pride and power over his trembling target. 

"You should know, I would have paid millions, just to see your crushed expression as your mother was ripped away from you," he snided, peeling back another layer of skin. 

"I would have brought along a camera so I could replay the moment over and over until I carved every detail into my mind!" 

_"You sick bastard.."_ Katsuna growled, clenching her fists til she could feel the nails imprinting on her palm. 

"On the contrary, I think of myself as a simple man looking to redeem his authority after it was stripped from him by a worthless no name," Takaoka retorted, rage seeping through the cracks of his words. 

"Ever since I was unfairly shoved out of my teaching position at Kunugigaoka, I've been fantasising about the order of which I'll break each of the 206 bones that reside within your body if we ever hoped to meet again." 

He licked his dry lips in a circular motion, barely containing the overwhelming dark pleasure that threatened to overflow inside him. 

"Then one day," he continued, his eyes wide with enthusiasm.

"I received an envelope stating that E Class would be taking a measly trip to Okinawa Island and that was an opportunity I wouldn't hesitate to take." 

_No doubt.. that had to be the principal's doing._

_No-one else knows of my true identity... there's noway it could be anyone else._

"I took it upon myself to do a bit of research, regarding you in particular and found that the only record of Sakame Katsuna was of a 7 year old who had died of unnatural causes the same year that you lost everything precious to you." 

The facts stabbed Katsuna like thorns in a thumb.

It seemed that her past was creeping up on her much quicker than she had expected. 

_"I wonder how your dear classmates feel after having defended a lying bitch like you."_

The statement snapped Katsuna back to the present, as she hesitantly side glanced the watchful stares of the students. They seemed confused and shocked by the hidden information being spilled from his mouth. 

Her eye met with Karma's, his expression unclear.

"I wonder how they'll feel when I tell them that it was you who had screwed them up in their exams," Takaoka announced almost eagerly, raking in the slight gasps that followed. 

"And that you had been spying on the class ever since you started, I believe that was part of the deal, yes?" 

Katsuna drily swallowed the last of the moisture within her throat as the sinking feeling that had begun to grow deep within her stomach slowly consumed her.

_How does he know all this... was it in the letter? Was he tracking me?_

_Dammit, what the hell.. am I supposed to do?_

"Now that I'm the one who has blown your cover," Takaoka sniggered, gesturing confidently as he spoke.

**"That has to mean that you're no longer needed, _right?"_**

Katsuna snapped her head up to meet Takaoka's heartless smirk, a clear sense of fear in her eyes like a deer caught in headlights.

_Stop it._

**"That means dear ol' daddy is coming home, _RIGHT?"_**

_Stop it._

**"YOU'LL BE DEAD ONCE YOU SET FOOT BACK HOME ANYWAY, _RIGHT?!"_**

**"STOP IT!"** Katsuna cried out, charging towards her opponent at alarming speed.

Takaoka's smirk widen, stretching along his lips as he put up his guard. 

Blinded by emotion, Katsuna swung her right arm into a hook, attempting to clock her target on the chin but Takaoka blocked it simply with his forearm, returning a punch straight towards the girl's chest, making her jump back, dodging by the skin of her teeth.

 **"Too easy,"** Takaoka chided arrogantly.

He took a heavy step forward, kicking her brutally in her stomach. Katsuna doubled over, coughing as the wind was knocked out of her from the impact. She was flung backwards like a rag doll, toppling over herself before clutching her torso. 

"Where's that trick of yours huh?" Takaoka scowled, marching towards his victim. 

Katsuna jumped back on her feet, going in for another attack by slicing the air with a round kick but the brute caught it with one hand in mid air. He pulled her closer, connecting a fist with her cheek, sending her to the side before connecting another fist with the other cheek, sending her in the opposite direction.

**"TOO SLOW!"**

Before she could topple to the ground, Takaoka grabbed on the back of her cardigan, launching a kick directing into her spine before clasping onto her arm and bending her over his knee. In an attempt to get away, she bit down hard on his bicep, the pain making him throw her to the side. 

**"YOU LITTLE SHIT!"**

Katsuna dropped low before using her legs to launch herself up into the air like a monkey. Tensing her leg, she catapulted her strength straight onto Takaoka's guarded wrists, lifted just to block the hit for his face. Following the maneuver, Katsuna used the back of her opponent's wrists as a spring board, back flipping away to gather some distance.

With the distance established, she sped back towards her target before leaping and wrapping her arms around his waist, taking him off his balance. The pair rolled back like a wheel, attached to one another in a fight for power. Takaoka smirked grimly, uppercutting the girl directly in the stomach, sending her crashing to side. 

Katsuna landed with a sickening crunch against the concrete floor, all the breath having left her body in the process. With a fuzzy vision, she helplessly watched as a blurred vision of Takaoka strode over to her collapsed body, proceeding to kick violently into her ribs making her scream out in unable pain. 

**"WHY THE HELL ARE YOU HOLDING BACK ON ME?!"** he stormed, jamming his thick army boot repetitively into side. 

**"AM I NOT WORTH YOUR TIME?!"**

Each impact left her spluttering, before a bitter taste of iron rose from her throat. She could just hear the gasps of horror of her classmates over the shouting, leaving her feeling overwhelming ashamed. 

_"Dammit, I wanted to savour this reunion,"_ Takaoka snapped under his breath, spitting a ball of saliva onto Katsuna's coiled form before taking a few steps away in an attempt to restrain himself. 

**"If you don't want your classmates to die, I suggest you get up, now."**

Katsuna had no choice to obey, clenching on her jaw as a way to cope from the immense pain as she clambered weakly up to a standing position. She began to sway slightly, losing the balance in one of her legs. Forcing herself upright, she stomped hard on her right leg, regaining the feeling once more. 

Just as she raised her head, Katsuna was hit with another blow to her cheek, sending her crashing back down to the floor below. Warm blood trickled from her nose, coating her lips a velvet red. Her breathing was excessively weak now, hoarse like an elderly women. 

**"Pitiful."**

A ringing sound of metal was heard as Takaoka dropped an object just by her head. Without moving her body, Katsuna glanced down at the weapon provided, forcing her eyes to focus on the knife's silver blade, exactly like the one she used last time. 

**"Look up when someone's talking to you!"** Takaoka yelled, lifting Katsuna's head by her matted hair. 

_"Maybe this will get your attention."_

A coy smirk played on his thin lips as he pulled out the detonator from his pocket, grabbing her limp hand before wrapping it around the device. 

Katsuna widened her eyes in horror the moment she realised the man's demented motives. 

"I wonder what it's like to be the one to end all of your previous friends' lives.." Takaoka smiled darkly, staring directly into her glowing orbs. 

_"Tell me, won't you?"_

With that said, he squeezed down on her hand, pressing the button along with it. 

**"NO!"**

Katsuna's weak shriek was swallowed by the sound of the heated explosion that followed just in front of her. The bomb shattered the metallic case into pieces, along with the life-saving vials tucked inside of it. 

She could only watch in pure dread as her only hope of saving the bed-ridden students blew up in flames. 

_I... failed._

Everything everyone had fought so hard to claim, _**gone** in a matter of milliseconds._

Takaoka's cyclical laughter was the only thing that followed once the smoke had cleared, haunting the moment. 

"THAT'S THE FACE I WANTED TO SEE!"he thundered, hysterically laughing in between words.

"THAT LOOK OF PURE LOSS!"

**"IT'S BEAUTIFUL!"**

Katsuna feebly turned her head to face her classmate's terrorised expressions. Each student looked worse than the last, sickened to their stomachs from the circumstances that had befallen them. 

_T-This is all... my fault._

_If I wasn't so.. so weak._

_I-I have to.._

"THAT'LL TEACH YOU!" Takaoka screamed in howling laughter, wiping the tears that had formed at the base of his eyes.

**_Shut up._ **

"HOW DOES IT FEEL TO BE THE CAUSE OF ANOTHER DEATH?!"

**_Shut up._ **

"DADDY MUST BE PROUD THAT HIS DAUGHTER IS FOLLOWING IN HIS FOOTSTE- _Huh..?"_ ** _  
_**

Takaoka trained his eye on the student in front of him, the screeching sound of metal scratching against the concrete pricking his eardrums as well as his interest.

Steadily, Katsuna dragged the top of the blade along the floor, bringing the weapon closer to her chest. Her unsettling raggedy breaths could be heard in between stammered pieces of mutters.

She managed to gather up enough strength to stand up from her knees, gripping tightly onto the knife with extreme intensity before pointing it directly at her target. 

**_I-I'll.._ **

Takaoka drew his tongue against his bottom lip, savouring the taste of the blood lust emitting from the raven haired girl. 

_"That's the way,"_ he murmured, salivating with anticipation. 

_"Those burning eyes of hatred excite me to not end."_

**_...Kill you._ **

The assassin sprung into action, using her high of adrenaline to fuel her movements as she sprinted towards her target with lightening speed. 

Katsuna bitterly ignored the ripping sound as her ligaments tore from using Centralisation without the proper build up, focusing only on the man she wanted dead.

Takaoka barely had any time to ready himself for the vicious attack as Katsuna launched herself at him, using his neck as a pole to swing herself around on. With this maneuver, she was able to cling onto the man's back before placing her life threatening blade right against her target's throat, leaving no room for his Adams apple to move as he gasped for air. 

A psychotic giggle escaped Katsuna's ruby lips as she relished herself in the power, completely taken over by her blood lust. 

With one move, the raven head could slit his throat and end his life. 

_One move._

She pressed the knife further into his throat, drawing a thin line of blood in it's wake. 

_That's right Yumeno, just like Dad did._

_Don't hold back._

_GO DEEPER!_

**"I DON'T WANT ANYONE ELSE TO DIE!"**

The statement caught her off guard; a flash feeling of being embraced in a comforting warmth with fresh tear stained cheeks sparking in her thoughts. 

**"THAT'S WHAT YOU SAID TO ME RIGHT?"**

Katsuna turned her head to the slightly, catching the fierce crimson eye of a red headed boy standing just across from her. 

He gave her a subtle smirk, as if they were back in the classroom trading insults once again. 

_How can you smile like that in a situation like this..._

**"YOU THINK TAKING THIS PRICK'S LIFE IS GOING TO DO YOU ANY GOOD?"**

_But he.. he...._

**"MORE THAN LIKELY, HE'S BLUFFING ABOUT THE WHOLE THING, PLAYING YOU LIKE AN IDIOT!"**

_Playing me..?_

**"DON'T STOOP TO HIS LEVEL!"**

**"DON'T BECOME A MURDER!"**

Katsuna glanced back heavily as her hand began to tremble in response to the word. 

_What am I doing?_

_Why am I here?_

_Who am I?_

_**I was seriously going to kill him.** _

_How could I?_

_What would Mum think of me if she saw me now?_

_Oh._

_**Mum.** _

_I miss you._

_**So much.** _

_Tell me.. what should I do?_

_I don't think I can control myself for much longer._

_**I'm afraid.** _

_I told myself I'm nothing like Dad and yet here I am._

_I'm becoming the one thing I despise most in this world._

_**Everything is falling apart and I can't stop it.** _

~~~~~

Suddenly, someone grabbed hold of her forearm, throwing her off the side aggressively. Katsuna landed in a heap on the ground, dropping the knife as the pain of her recent injuries returning like she'd been impaled by a spike. 

"SHUT UP, YOU'RE RUINING THE MOMENT!" Takaoka screeched from his position, directing his voice to the side of her classmates.

"YUMENO HAS TO COME AT ME WITH EVERYTHING SHE HAS OTHERWISE HOW ELSE AM I ABLE TO PATCH UP MY SHATTERED REPUTATION?!"

**"HOW ABOUT YOU-"**

**"Karma, stop,"** Koro-sensei interjected, making the boy seize his retort. 

"Are you kidding me?" he scoffed, pointing to the alarming situation unfolding right before their eyes.

_"She's going to die in there!"_

"I won't let her become a killer, but I wouldn't say no to Mr K shooting the fucker right now." 

"We have to let her handle it," Koro-sensei replied motionlessly, his eyes unmoving from the two opponents. 

"Karasuma-sensei will shoot if he feels that her life is in jeopardy." 

_"This is bullshit,"_ he growled under his breath, returning his focus to the fight. 

_I should have never let go._

"Have more faith in her Karma," Koro-sensei encouraged lightly. 

**"This is far from over."**

~~~~~

Katsuna stood facing off her deadly opponent. 

A few moments of silence was all she needed to gather her racing thoughts and figure out that, if she wanted to truly help her classmates, there was only one thing she could do. 

_Can my body handle this?_ _  
_

_1_

_Everything hurts._

_2_

_I can feel the fear in my chest waiting to take over._

_3_

_Even so._

_4_

_I need to think I can control it._

_5_

_Take a step back._

_6_

_Calm your thoughts._

_7_

_Bite down the pain._

_8_

_Feel the flow of blood._

_9_

_Channel it._

_10_

**_Trust in yourself, just for this moment._ **

Her eyes moved with the alertness that comes from heavy stress and her hands remained clenched by subconscious demand. Thrusting herself at an unfathomable speed, Katsuna made a beeline for her one and only target. She ignored the searing pain as the rips in her already damaged ligaments expanded due to her movements. 

_Now, just as Lovro taught me._

~~~~~ _  
_

_**"I have a proposition," he stated, earning him a gaze filled with curiosity.** _

_**"I will show you a technique that works side by side with Centralisation."** _

~~~~~

Katsuna began moving rapidly left and right, using the expansion of her muscles to fuel her strength. With a naked eye, the maneuver would have looked like there were two of the same person due to the extreme speed manipulating the vision and therefore creating a duplicate effect. 

**"W-What the hell?!"** Takaoka exclaimed wearily, unable to keep track of the girl's movements. 

His hands began to shake uncontrollably, his eyes darting in every spot, unable to locate the real Katsuna as she sped around him in a circular formation. This was to make her target suffer from dizziness, ridding them weak when the final attack reveals itself. 

In a blink of an eye, Katsuna lunged forward towards her unsuspecting target, jamming two outstretched fingers directly into a vital point in his throat. The move made Takaoka heave crudely, subconsciously wrapping his muscular hands around his neck as his knees buckled. Katsuna landed just in front of him, observing him with faded vision as her opponent crashed the to floor in a pool of his own saliva, ridding himself unconscious. 

_I-I did it._

Katsuna smiled weakly, bringing her hands up to her line of sight. 

_I-I beat him._

The vision of her hands began to blur as she stumbled on her feet. 

_Crap.. I think I... overdid it._

Katsuna crashed down to the ground, her long lasting adrenaline rush running dry. 

The darkness quickly consumed her mental state with the faint sound of cheering in the background. 

_It's.. over._


	51. "You're a part of Class 3-E!"

_"I don't wanna go Mumma!"_

_"But honey, we must.. there's no other way."_

Despite the trembling hand on my wrist, her smile was just that of a compassionate soul. 

**I was an ungrateful child.**

_"NO! NO! NO! NO!"_

_"Darling wait-"_

I'd somehow released myself from her hold, running back to the room we used to sleep in with my immature temper tantrum. It'd always been just as bare, with only a plain white futon laid out on the wooden flooring, a small lamp placed beside it and a couple of toys scattered around. 

I used to believe I lived in a fairy tale, just like in the books she used to read. 

Travelling from place to place; each one a new chapter in our own adventure book. 

'Me and Mum against the world' we'd call it. 

However this time.. I'd become attached. 

I'd grown to love that brown stain on the ceiling that was shaped into a heart.

When the romantic classical music played through the thin walls every Saturday evening. 

The rotten wooden window that gave us a clear view of the shining stars. 

The old lady that smelt like a bunch of roses every time we passed silently in the hallway.

It'd all become a familiar pleasantry to me, regardless of the grim circumstances that my young mind couldn't comprehend. 

**It was unfair to me.**

_"Yumeno sweetie, what's upsetting you?"_

Her voice was filled with concern, seemingly forgetting the previous urgency. 

Graced with a pair of illuminating golden doe eyes and raven hair that draped over her shoulders elegantly, she was breathtakingly captivating. 

Not only had Mum always been enchanting to the eye, she was exceptionally intelligent. 

No matter what, she'd always know what to do and how to do it. 

**Her only weakness was me.**

_"Why do we have to go?"_

She had hesitated in that moment, giving her thoughts a second to gather. 

It was a question I had never felt the need to ask, as at that point, moving had felt like just another part of life. 

She'd sat down beside me, rubbing my open palm with her delicate, long fingers in a circular motion, a somewhat signature move of hers that would soothe me instantaneously. 

_"There was once someone I loved very much, someone that I still love very much."_

She had seemed distant, as if the memories were replaying as she spoke. 

_"But overtime, I realised that he was developing into something beyond my reach."_

_"I knew I had to leave when I found out that I was having you."_

_"I had to give you a chance to live a happier, safer life."_

I'd felt a warm dampness on my skin as Mum let the mask slip just a bit, for the first time. 

_**"I do know that somewhere, deep down inside, he returns my feelings."** _

The ominous ring of the doorbell cut through the atmosphere like a sharpened knife. 

The circular rubbing on my palm had stopped instantly with Mum now on high alert. 

It was a facial expression I could register with ease and along with it came the feeling that something wasn't right. 

With the second ring cascading through our room, Mum was already up on her feet, violently pushing on the window in an attempt to dislodge it. Milliseconds after the frame had broken from the wall, Mum had wasted no time in picking me up and carefully shoving me through the pocket-sized gap.

The third ring drowned out the noise had drowned out Mum's voice as I froze up, blankly staring into her wide golden orbs. There was so much intensity in them, but the harder I tried to listen to the words she spoke, the further they seemed to get. 

Everything was getting brighter. 

_Mum._

Too bright. 

_Where are you?_

Piercing White. 

~~~~~

_"...she's..."_

_Huh?_

_"..look.."_

_Is someone.._

"....space..." 

_...there?_

Katsuna gradually blinked her eyes open, giving them time to adjust to the white lighting that stared down at her from the unfamiliar ceiling. 

_Where am I?_

Tilting her head down slightly, Katsuna managed to focus on the multitude of wires coming out of her arms before her vision once again failed her. 

Instinctively, she began to sit herself up, attempting to gain a clearer image of her surroundings. A teeth-scratching pain spiked through her bandaged torso, making her groan in anguish. 

"Woah Woah, take it easy," a concerned voice eased, gently pushing on her chest with his yellow tentacles. 

"You need some time to catch your breath before trying to move."

Katsuna sunk back into the comfort of her pillow, steadily rolling her head to the side. Her blurry vision began to sharpen once more as she laid her eyes on the students gathered together by her bedside.

Rio's relieved expression was among the first Katsuna registered, a troubling memory finding its way back into her thoughts. 

~~~~~

**_"Hey Katsuna.." Rio spoke drowsily, dragging herself across the wooden deck, "Do you mind if I lay on you for a-"_ **

**_The blonde collapsed onto the floor in a lump, startling the raven head whilst confirming her suspicions._ **

**_"Hey hey, you're okay," Katsuna hushed, kneeling down beside her trembling classmate._ **

_**Crap.. she's burning up really bad.** _

~~~~~

 _"You shouldn't.. you're sick.."_ Katsuna murmured faintly, unable to find the strength to complete her sentence. 

"Everything is okay now, thanks to everyone who fought for us," Rio smiled sincerely, kneeling down beside the bed. 

"B-but the virus.." Katsuna questioned gingerly, her eyes trained on the blue orbs in front of her. 

"Was a fluke, just like Koro-sensei predicted," Isogai announced casually, making her avert her gaze to the black haired boy. 

"There's nothing to worry about now, everything is back to how it was."

The revelation settled Katsuna's pounding heart; the thought of her classmates safety prominent in her thoughts. 

"Where am I?"

"The hotel's infirmary," Koro-sensei answered, now back in his original form. 

"By the time the class returned, an ambulance helicopter had landed on the island so we could set up a treatment room for you as soon as possible." 

_Ambulance?_

~~~~~ _  
_

**_"If you don't want your classmates to die, I suggest you get up, now."_ **

~~~~~

_Oh._

~~~~~ _  
_

**_"Look up when someone's talking to you!"_ **

~~~~~

_That's right.._

~~~~~ _  
_

**_I-I'll.._ ** **_...Kill you._ **

~~~~~

_I fought Takaoka._

~~~~~ _  
_

**_"Yumeno Rikumi."_ **

~~~~~ **  
**

Katsuna went rigid as her former name accessed her thoughts with an ugly vile tone.

_**They know.** _

An loathsome feeling of dread began to bubble up inside her core as she glanced to the side, taking in each and every eye that was trained on her, calculatingly _analysing her._

_Disgusted expressions hidden under masks._

_**He's coming..** _

_..no escape.._

_My throat.._

_...it's clenching up._

_I can't... speak._

_Someone.._

_**....no one...** _

_Everything's over._

_Everything's over._

_Everything's over._ _  
_

_Everything's over._

_Everything's over._

_Everything's over._

_Everything's over._ _Everything's over._ _Everything's over._ _**Everything's over.** _ _Everything's over._ _**Everything's over.** _ _Everything's over._ _Everything's over._ _Everything's over._ _Everything's over._ _Everything's over._ _Everything's over._ _Everything's over._ _**Everything's over.** _ _Everything's over._ _Everything's over._ _**Everything's over.** _ _Everything's over._ _Everything's over._ _Everything's over._ _Everything's over._ _Everything's over._ _Everything's over._ _Everything's over._ _Everything's over._ _**Everything's over.** _ _Everything's over._ _Everything's over._ _Everything's over._ _Everything's over._ _Everything's over._ _Everything's over._ _Everything's over._ _**Everything's over.** _ _Everything's over._ _Everything's over._ _Everything's over._ _Everything's over._ _Everything's over._ _Everything's over._ _Everything's over._ _**Everything's over.** _ _Everything's over._ _Everything's over._ _Everything's over._ _Everything's over._ _Everything's over._ _  
_

_-_

_-_

_-_

_-_

_-_

**"Katsuna."**

Koro-sensei's voice snapped through the chaos, breaking the malfunction just enough to gain the student's dislodged attention. 

**"Breathe."**

On instinct, the raven head became consciously aware of her breaths, enabling her to be able to control the simplest motion with clarity. It took her a few moments to soothe the stormy waves that blew inside of her before apprehensively turning back to her teacher. 

"We've learned a lot about each other in these passing days," he began, a sense of composure within his articulated words. 

"But I think I speak for the whole of E Class when I say that it was a shock hearing the truth." 

An immediate stab of guilt impaled Katsuna through the chest as she recognised the meaning of his statement. 

"Though that's not to say that we don't believe you had your own reasons," Koro-sensei continued, making the girl look up in confusion. 

"If anything, we are the ones who should apologise for not recognising that one of our classmates was in deep trouble.." Rio mumbled sourly, adverting her eyes from Katsuna in shame. 

"Instead of helping when you began to distance yourself, I just casted it off as you being weird."

"It's the same with me.." Nagisa interjected, scratching the back of his head nervously.

"I didn't even try to amend things back then." 

_What?_

_This doesn't make sense.._

~~~~~ _  
_

**_"They'll never accept you after you betrayed them."_ **

**_._ **

**_"You ruined their efforts"_ **

~~~~~ ** _  
_**

 _"B-but midterms.. and the trip.."_ Katsuna murmured in disbelief, shaking her head rigorously. 

_**"It was all me."** _

_"How can you-"_

"Because you're a part of Class 3-E," Koro-sensei twinkled, gesturing to the surrounding students as they shared their similar smiles. 

**"We wouldn't have it any other way."**

_"But.. I lied about who I was."_ Katsuna pressed, believing it was some sort of mistake. 

"There is very little significance to the names our parents give us," Koro-sensei explained, grinning widely. 

"We don't choose what we're called or what we're born into, but we can choose what people come to associate with it."

**"Choose who you want to be instead of letting the past define you."**

"As either Sakame Katsuna or Yumeno Rikumi, you are my student first and foremost and your mental well being and safety come first." 

_This can't be real.._

_I'm dreaming.. right?_

A well of emotions began to trickle out in the form of wet splodgy tears as they trailed uncontrollably down her plump cheeks, dampening the bandages that had been placed there.

_All the mistakes I've made.._

_All the hiding.._

_The secrets..._

_They've forgiven me?_

"If you need evidence to say that you're a good person," Isogai beamed softly, pointing to the blonde, crouched on the floor. 

"Before anything else, you expressed concern for Rio's well being without anyone pushing you to do so."

Rio smiled a contagious toothy grin at the raven head, making Katsuna chuckle lightly as she began to wipe her tears with her bed sheet. 

"Aye, there's that laugh I've been waiting to hear!" Maehara cheered, slinging his arm round Isogai's shoulders as he grinned down at the patient.

"You were totally badass back there!" Yoshida bubbled, squeezing his fists in excitement.

"You have got to show me some of those moves!"

"Hey, me too!" 

"Not before me!"

_I can't believe it.._

_Everything really is back to normal.._

_Or maybe not.._

_Maybe more like a fresh chapter for me and Class 3-E._

_I have to make things right from now on._

_I have to keep them safe._

"You're really incredible," Kaede gushed admirably, making Katsuna turn her focus to the green haired girl. 

"You stood up to Takaoka and beat him single handedly twice!"

"There's no way anyone else could do that in this class!"

"I'm not so sure," Katsuna chuckled nervously, a little uncomfortable from the ray of compliments. 

"I bet if he was up against Karma, he'd be flat on his ass."

_Huh?_

_Why did he come into my mind?_

_Shit, if he heard me say that-_

Katsuna surveyed the room of glee filled students, unable to spot a crimson haired ass hat.

"I suppose you're looking for Karma?" Kaede whispered quietly in her ear, giggling slightly as Katsuna's red cheeks deepened with embarrassment. 

"I was j-just wondering why the place was so calm and now I know it's because I'm not being ambushed with insults," Katsuna nodded with overdone assurance, attempting to hide her intent. 

"Well just between me and you," Kaede continued, ignoring the blatant lie.

"He hasn't left your side since you collapsed, only when you began to wake up did he slip out." 

"Seriously?" Katsuna stared in disbelief, confusion grinding against the gears that turned in her mind. 

_What the hell was he doing?_

_I swear- if he's taking a picture of me dribbling in my sleep.._

_I'll kill him._

"I was wondering if there was something going on between him and you?" Kaede inquired greedily, unable to contain her thirst for gossip. 

A thing between me and Karma?

 _"What.. like utter hate?"_ Katsuna replied, dumbfounded by the question.

"No no.." the green head groaned, facepalming herself at her friend's obvious tendencies. 

"I mean like love, like do you have a crush on him?" 

_A crush.._

_..on Karma?_

_Why does this sound familiar..._

~~~~~ _  
_

**_"Do you have feelings for Akabane?"_ **

~~~~~

_Oh._

"You're not going to kiss me are you?" Katsuna cringed, pulling a look of complete foulness at reminder of the last time someone asked her the same question. 

" _What?_ NO!" Kaede exclaimed, rubbing her temples as a pain began to arise. 

"Just answer the goddamn question!"

_A crush on Karma..._

_**No way.** _

"I'd rather scoop out my own intestines and eat them," Katsuna snorted, crossing her arms defensively. 

_All he is.._

~~~~~ _  
_

_**"Now that we're both soaking wet..." Karma teased, wiggling his eyebrows suggestively.** _

_**Katsuna threw him a look of disgust before playfully splashing him.** _

**_"Oh, so you want to play that game huh?" the redhead grinned wide, violently splashing her back repetitively._ **

_**"PPFTT- OKAY, FINE! I'M SORRY! JUST STOP PLEASE!" Katsuna laughed, attempting to shelter herself from the vicious attacks.** _

~~~~~

_..is a.._

~~~~~ _  
_

**_"Karma.... Be Careful!"_ **

_**The redhead chuckled slightly, raising his fighting stance.** _

_**"Remember what I said back on the beach?" he spoke up, grabbing the raven head's attention.** _

_**Katsuna gulped down her nerves as she retraced their conversation in her mind.  
** _

**~~~~~**

**_"I don't want anymore people to die."_ **

**_The muffled words hardly managed to break out amongst sound of choking tears._ **

**_Karma rested his chin on top of her head, his arms clenching tighter._ **

**_"I won't let that happen. I promise."_ **

**~~~~~**

_**"I remember.." she responded hesitantly, returning her focus back on the boy in front.** _

_**"If there's one thing you should know about me," Karma vowed, darkening his tone slightly.** _

**_"It's that I've never once broken a promise."_ **

~~~~~

..a..

~~~~~

**"To hell if I'm letting you go up there."**

**Katsuna clenched her jaw tightly, frustration first filling her thoughts before exhaling slightly, relaxing it into a grim smile. She turned her head around to face the stubborn redhead stood behind her, his expression hidden under his crimson locks.**

**"You have to let go Karma," she muttered under her breath, just loud enough for the boy to hear.**

**"Don't you get it?" Karma mumbled harshly, spitting out his words.**

_**"He'll kill you."** _

~~~~~

_...pest._

_"Oh come on, there's gotta be something-"_

A series of knocks could be heard on the door, interrupting Kaede's interrogation, before the handle opened, revealing a man in a white coat holding a clipboard. 

"Sorry, but it's time for patient, Sakame Katsuna, to have her test now that she's woken up," the doctor announced, gesturing for the room to be cleared.

**"There's something very important we must discuss about your future."**


	52. A Pressing Matter

_"Oh come on, there's gotta be something-"_

_A series of knocks could be heard on the door, interrupting Kaede's interrogation, before the handle opened, revealing a man in a white coat holding a clipboard._

_"Sorry, but it's time for patient, Sakame Katsuna, to have her test now that she's woken up," the doctor announced, gesturing for the room to be cleared._

**_"There's something very important we must discuss about your future."_ **

~~~~~

"While you were out, we performed a few x-rays to determine the extent your injuries," the doctor explained, his voice brimming with seriousness. 

Katsuna bit her lip in quiet anticipation, anxious to hear the test's results. 

"You had suffered from several rips in your Achilles tendon and Soleus muscle in both calfs, not to mention a large tear in your left Gastrocnemis muscle," the doctor began, flicking his eyes from the clipboard to the patient as he referred to his notes carefully. 

"The results also showed that due to cracking 3 of your ribs, you had managed to puncture a hole in your lungs, which we had to take you to immediate surgery for." 

He peered down through his glasses at the junior high school student wrapped in bandages. 

**"You're lucky to be alive."**

The gravity of his words seemed to take a great effect in Katsuna as she redirected her look down towards her fumbling plastered hands. 

_Lucky.. huh.._

"I've come to understand, from the eye-witness accounts, that you seemed to go into some sort of overdrive towards the end of the fight," he remarked in a questioning tone. 

"Do you remember much of what happened?" 

Katsuna stared down hard at her shaking fingers, searching her mind rigorously for details about the events of the incident. Like sparks of light, blips of images came flashing back, some in focused and some not.

_Takaoka's crooked grin_

_An explosion of yellow and orange._

_A crippling sense of hope._

_A burning sense of killing intent._

_Her knife scraping against the bristle hairs of an unkempt beard._

_A familiar voice._

"I can't recall much that could help in this case.." Katsuna murmured faintly, subconsciously the material wrapped around her torso. 

"Only that, I remember using the first and second Centralisation at some point, though the latter is completely blurred." 

"You must had been running on a lot of adrenaline so it's only to be expected," the doctor responded, nodding understandably. 

"I do believe your teacher, Mr Karasuma, explained to me about the science behind that maneuver earlier," he continued, catching Katsuna's interest.

"In normal context, usually, a person's body has limiters to keep them from using more than 80% of their power, which varies depending on the size, gender and age of that individual."

"However when someone faces a crisis situation, for instance a mother lifting a car off of their baby, it's possible for those limiters to come off, allowing them to use 100% of their power." 

"In that context, we call it a moment of "hysterical strength", but the reason why we have those limiters is precisely because our human bodies can't take that immense strain." 

Katsuna listened intently to his explanation as she began to link up his ideas with her own power.

"Yet, I have reason to believe that the Centralisation enables the user to harness 100% of their power through concentration in the airways, allowing them to surpass these limiters for a brief amount of time," the doctor theorised. 

"In spite of this extraordinary move, if the user were to rush into this process without any sort of slow gradual build up, which is the likely what occurred in your case, it be would like a jet engine exploding in your body."

Katsuna squeezed her fists slightly, the thought threatening to return the pain from her numb damaged legs.

"It's bad enough for your bones and muscles to get battered," he commented, titling his glasses back up his nose.

"But it's worse for your ligaments as they protect the joints in your body."

"In regards to this, your left Patellar ligament, located in your knee, may begin to deteriorate badly if you continue to overdo this move." 

_"In other words.."_ Katsuna muttered dimly, swallowing the dry scratchy lump in her throat.

"If you keep getting injured in the same way two or three more times or so," he informed, pausing for a moment to lift his head from the clipboard. 

**"I think you'll have to live without being able to use your legs."**

The grim realisation darkened her vision greatly; the seriousness of the situation taking root deep in her thoughts as the words of the doctor began to feel like background noise.

_I'd lose the ability to walk.. to run.. to move freely.._

"All you can do is work on rehabilitation to get them back to normal." 

_H-How... is that a possibility for me?_

"Use them a lot, even if it hurts."

_If that happens.. there really is no where to escape too..._

"Though it's not recommend, make sure to use the equipment provided if you do plan on moving around." 

_**I'd be permanently trapped.** _

"We'll leave it here for today," the doctor concluded, organising the papers on the clipboard.

"Once you're back on the mainland, please make sure to attend the hospital appointments throughout the course of this month." 

_"Th-thank you very much.."_ Katsuna mumbled meekly, her raven locks shadowing the stiff look on her face. 

_"I'm sorry to have caused you trouble."_

He took a moment to observe her sullen expression before kneeling down beside the bed. 

"Healing begins in the mind, so don't worry too much and stay positive," he encouraged softly. 

"You may not see it now, but from my viewpoint, you are exceptionally strong."

"In some ways, you actually remind me of my own daughter." 

Katsuna looked up slightly, a little baffled by his judgement but his compassionate smile made it hard to reply. Instead, she sat in silence as the doctor returned back on his feet before placing a light thoughtful hand on her shoulder. 

**"Give yourself some credit for how far you've come."**

With that said, the doctor slipped his hand away from her before leaving the room to let his patient recoup her pressing thoughts in silence. 


	53. Stand Against the Hurricane

_"Healing begins in the mind, so don't worry too much and stay positive," he encouraged softly._

_"You may not see it now, but from my viewpoint, you are exceptionally strong."_

_"In some ways, you actually remind me of my own daughter."_

_Katsuna looked up slightly, a little baffled by his judgement but his compassionate smile made it hard to reply. Instead, she sat in silence as the doctor returned back on his feet before placing a light thoughtful hand on her shoulder._

**_"Give yourself some credit for how far you've come."_ **

_With that said, the doctor slipped his hand away from her before leaving the room to let his patient recoup her pressing thoughts in silence._

~~~~~

Katsuna thought about a lot of things whilst she was in that room. 

Among all those scrambled thoughts, three prominent things were stuck in her head. 

**First.. was the memories of her mother.**

Thinking about her was painful because of those agonising feelings of loss and guilt that came along with it. So she kept it buried deep inside her heart, but when those memories ruptured to the surface, she was no longer able to contain them.

_Why couldn't she have been stronger?_

_Why couldn't she have done at least... **something?**_

So, in the end, she decided to think about them as much as she wanted to, facing the fears head on. 

**Second thing she thought about the most was her classmates.**

~~~~~ **  
**

_**"THAT WAS INCREDIBLE!" chorused the class, running up to Katsuna and praising her.** _

_**" A splendid attempt Miss Katsuna," he congratulated, "Top marks for creativity!"** _

_**"It seemed it still wasn't enough to kill THE GREAT KORO-SENSEI HAHAHAH!"** _

**-**

_**"KILL HIM!!!!" the class chorused, running towards their target with sheer determination.** _

_**"HAHA WHAT'S THE MATTER CHILDREN?" he shouted in glee, landing on the roof of the campus building, "CAN'T JUMP THIS HIGH? THAT'S A SHAME ISN'T IT!"** _

_**-** _

_**"Because you're a part of Class 3-E," Koro-sensei twinkled, gesturing to the surrounding students as they shared their similar smiles.** _

**_"We wouldn't have it any other way."_ **

**_"Choose who you want to be instead of letting the past define you."_ **

**-**

**_"You were totally badass back there!"_ **

**_"Aye, there's that laugh I've been waiting to hear!"_ **

~~~~~

She felt emotions that she would've never felt in her life so she was grateful to each and every one of them. 

And, of course, there was the infamous redhead who had made the biggest impact on her since day one. 

~~~~~

_**"You are nothing but dirt I can rub off my boot at anytime, now fuck off."** _

~~~~~ _ **  
**_

_That fucking jerk._

In the safe privacy of silence, Katsuna began to unintentionally allow herself to indulge in the sensitive territory.

She struggled to understand his contradicting, misleading behaviour.. allowing his lack of visits to see her injured state to plague her thoughts more than she had intended. 

_Why.._

~~~~~ _  
_

_**"OPEN YOUR EYES YOU IDIOT!"** _

~~~~~ _  
_

_Is he.._

~~~~~ _  
_

_**"You couldn't pay me enough to even touch this one mate," Karma snorted, pretending to heave.** _

_**Katsuna cringed at his immature display, "Is that the best you've got?"** _

_**She dropped to the floor, violently pretending to throw up, clutching her heart in pain whilst making ungodly noises.** _

_**Karma huffed, clearly ticked off that his acting skills were beaten.** _

~~~~~ _  
_

_So..  
_

~~~~~ _  
_

_**"What the hell were you thinking asking to go alone?!" he exploded, his crimson eyes wide with fire.** _

**_"Do you have any idea how dangerous that is?!"_ **

~~~~~

_Goddamn.._

~~~~~

_**"You were worried about me, weren't you~?"** _

_**The raven head could hear his irritating smirk through his words, the feeling making her cringe up in utter exasperation.** _

_**"As if I'd ever express concern for someone like you."** _

~~~~~

_Fucking.._

~~~~~ _  
_

_**"DON'T BECOME A MURDER!"** _

~~~~~

_Confusing!?_

And finally, the third thought trailed back to her fight with Takaoka. 

Pieces of fractured memories steadily found their way back to Katsuna over the course of her rest, enabling her to stitch together a basic outline of what had occurred. 

Only this time, with the strength of her classmates behind her, she found that the sick nauseous panic which would usually, without fail, tightly wrap around her frame like a python, seemed to be something she could dare stand against. 

With this courage that had sparked a light inside the what seemed like a bottomless pit of darkness, Katsuna made a important promise to herself which she would hold dear for what was to come. 

She mentally prepared herself for the next fight. 

Whether it would be another assassin, Koro-sensei, the principal or someone she hoped never to meet... 

**Katsuna will never lose herself again.**

She'll control the flow of the fight. 

She'll instigate a chance to strike. 

She'll delve into the weakness.

She'll minimise all damages. 

She'll strike her opponent more effectively. 

_I will train harder._

_I will become stronger._ _**  
** _

That way, she can protect those who had shown her kindness despite her acts of deception.

The promise she made in that desolate room burned deep within her soul. 

_You kept me safe._

~~~~~ _  
_

_**"I had to give you a chance to live a happier, safer life."** _

~~~~~

_You filled my head with endless love only a mother could give._

~~~~~ _  
_

_**"Each one is someone who has passed on from this world, forever looking out for their loved ones who are still here."** _

~~~~~ _ **  
**_

_For that I'm forever grateful._

~~~~~ _  
_

_**"Doesn't the sky look beautiful."** _

~~~~~ _ **  
**_

_But now.._

~~~~~

_**"I knew I had to leave when I found out that I was having you."** _

~~~~~ _ **  
**_

_If comes to it.._

~~~~~ _  
_

_**"There was once someone I loved very much, someone that I still love very much."** _

~~~~~

_I will face the one we ran from for all those years._

~~~~~

_**"But overtime, I realised that he was developing into something beyond my reach."** _

~~~~~

_For you, Mum._

~~~~~ _  
_

_**"I'll always be with you, my little songbird."** _

~~~~~

_**I won't run away anymore.** _

~~~~~ _ **  
**_

Class 3-E's Okinawa assassination vacation had finally come to a close with the students reluctantly boarding the ship that was due to take them back home to the main island. 

"I don't think I'm ever going to forget this trip," Rio exclaimed, leaning on the ship deck's railing to glance back as the resort sailed further and further into the distance. 

"You think?" Kaede drawled sarcastically, earning a spiteful glare from the blonde. 

"Jeez lil Miss flat chest, I was just saying" she responded sharply, a grin appearing on her features as she watched the green head burn with embarrassment.

"I just haven't hit puberty yet!!" Kaede defended, crossing her arms tightly to cover her chest.

_"Right~"_

Katsuna chuckled softly at the two students squabble, missing their light-hearted banter. 

Still in the early days of her recovery, the raven head was forced to use a wheelchair in order to ease the strain on her damaged legs. 

"It's nice to catch a bit of fresh air," she smiled, letting the seas breeze comb through her locks. 

"Sucks I couldn't join in on the last day of fun with you guys though." 

"You didn't really miss out on anything," Kaede reassured, stretching her arms into the air. 

"Except on a chance to snag some along time with you know who." 

She wiggled her eyebrows up and down as Katsuna went bright red from the remark. Rio quickly hopped onto the train of gossip, her eager eyes trained on Katsuna's reaction. 

"Why would you think I'd want any alone time with that moron," she cried, gesturing enthusiastically with her hands as the redhead's irritating smirk appeared in her thoughts. 

"Oh, so you did think of Karma then," Rio grinned devilishly, rubbing her hands together. 

Katsuna widened her eyes at the realisation her mistake, knowing now that they weren't going to leave her alone until they dug through everything. 

_Hang on.. why am I so worried about it?_

_I couldn't be further from liking the guy if I tried._

"Speaking of the devil," Kaede commented, ripping Katsuna away from her thoughts as she followed her friend's line of sight. 

There, just across from the group, was the infamous redhead with Okano trailing behind like puppy. Her face was lit up excitedly as she spoke, though it didn't seem her counterpart was listening as he stared blankly into the water. 

"Those two have been inseparable since the stupid test of courage Koro-sensei whipped up," Rio stated, placing her head in her hand. 

"It wasn't that stupid.." Kaede countered shyly, wiggling her shoe into the ground. 

"That's coz' you were all lovey dovey with Nagisa," the blonde shot, rolling her eyes heavily as Kaede began to wail about "How it wasn't the truth".

"Wait, where did Katsuna go?!"

"Crap, I have to get those answers if it costs me my life!

"Let's split up, she couldn't have gone far!"

_~ Meanwhile ~_

_"Thanks for the distraction Karma,"_ Katsuna muttered to herself, wedging her wheelchair between the boxes in the storage room. 

_Thought I'd never get away from them._

~~~~~

**_"Those two have been inseparable since the stupid test of courage."_ **

~~~~~

_Okano and Karma huh.._

_I guess they do kinda click together._

~~~~~ _  
_

_**"It's okay to let it out, no-one's looking."** _

~~~~~ _ **  
**_

_Ugh.. why am I thinking of that now?_

_I-I was just flustered because he's usually so childish..._

_And then.._

_He just suddenly become serious._

Katsuna sighed deeply, burying her head in her hands in defeat. 

_Dammit._

_No matter how much I think about it._

_**He's just as confusing as ever.** _


	54. It Started With An Insult

"A summer festival?"

"It's the last day of summer vacation and everyone else I've asked seemed to have other plans," Koro-sensei wailed, his thick splodgy tears running down his fake human face.

Katsuna peered suspiciously down at her sobbing teacher before giving in with a slight huff.

"Fine, I'll go," she sighed, placing down her library book on the desk reluctantly.

"Now will you please get up, you're making a scene."

Back on the main island, the students had separated to spend time with their families and friends for the remainder of their summer holidays. As agreed upon by the doctor, Katsuna had checked in to the local hospital for her regular weekly check ups.

They were surprised by how quickly she had regained her strength in her core and legs, seeing no problems in discharging her only a few days before she was scheduled to return to Kunugigaoka.

"So you'll come?!" Koro-sensei cheered, leaping up from the ground.

"Yes yes, I'll come," Katsuna responded, swatting the octopus with her hand in an attempt to make him leave.

_Might as well distract myself with something instead of books._

~~~~~

_So no-accepted the offer huh._

Katsuna smirked as she surveyed the Class 3-E students chattering excitedly in their groups.

_That sneaky octopus..._

"Hey Katsuna, over here!" Nagisa called, waved a hand high in the air to catch her attention.

He was stood beside Sugino who was wearing the same cheerful expression. She waved back before making her way over to the pair.

"I'm guessing Koro-sensei ended up giving you the same excuse he gave us," Nagisa sweat dropped, scratching the back of his head.

"I guess so," Katsuna replied, shrugging slightly with a small grin playing on her lips.

"Are you all healed up now?" Sugino inquired, placing his hands into his jacket pockets.

"Yep, I can walk freely now without crutches," she smiled, gesturing down to her legs.

"Just a little more time and I'll be back kicking octopus ass!"

"That's what I like to hear!" he cheered, fist bumping the raven head.

"What's up with Chiba and Hayami anyways," Katsuna asked, watching as the pair sat slumped together on a nearby bench.

"Ah.." Nagisa chuckled nervously, scratching his cheek with his finger.

"Apparently they got kicked out of the shooting stalls."

"My bet is that it was too easy for them and they started clearing out all the prizes," Sugino exhaled.

"I see," Katsuna nodded slowly, glancing back over to their glum faces.

_That's Class E's best sharp shooters for you._

**"Okay, okay, just don't call the cops!"**

The group turned towards the series of shouts coming from a nearby gaming stall.

**"You can have your money back, just let me be please!!"**

"Karma's back at it again," Nagisa mumbled, analysing the scene from afar.

"Isn't this like the third stall owner he's blackmailed now?" Sugino groaned, rubbing his temples slightly.

_"I stopped counting a while back."_

**"I don't think I can let you go that easily.. but maybe if you hand over that console you have there, I might reconsider."**

"I swear I can see his devil horns from here," Katsuna commented, the others nodding in agreement.

_Our class really can't be normal can it?_

"Let's call him over," Nagisa suggested, wrapping his hands around his mouth.

"Wait-"

"HEY KARMA!"

_Great._

The redhead turned around to face the group, his playful smirk faltering a bit as his eyes fell on the raven head who had redirected her gaze to the side.

"I'll be back later, don't let me see that console going anywhere," Karma ordered firmly, leaving the terrified stall owner in peace.

 _"He's going to act normal right?"_ Sugino whispered discretely.

_"He'll be fine.. I hope." Nagisa murmured back, his tone anything but assuring._

"Sup."

"You seem to be enjoying yourself," Nagisa grinned, gesturing to the stall owner who look like he was just about ready to faint with stress.

"I get by," Karma shrugged nonchalantly before a demonic expression appeared on his face.

"Festivals are basically feeding grounds full of sleazy men trying to rip you off, what's the harm in turning the tables once in a while?"

The others sweat dropped slightly at his composure, knowing full well just how capable and far the redhead would go in these cases.

"Where's the octopus anyway?" he asked, surveying the area for his target as they walked through the festival.

"I haven't seen him since he won the ramen bowl eating contest."

 _"Why am I not surprised?"_ Katsuna muttered to herself, imagining her teacher scarfing down dish after dish of noodles.

"I believe he's now running the food stalls," Nagisa answered, pointing over to a set of stalls down to the right of them.

_Oh, you have got to be kidding..!_

"I think I missed the part where you said he's running **all** of them!" Sugino exclaimed, watching in disbelief as their teacher used his clones to cook for bustling customers. 

"He said he was a little short for cash so.." Nagisa laughed nervously, observing the display.

"I've got it!" Karma suddenly announced, banging his fist in his palm.

"We boycott the place so he has nowhere to work and rob him of all his other possessions which'll send him into a pit of despair."

"The guy will be so depressed that he'll voluntarily ask us to kill him!" 

_"How do you come up with this stuff man.."_ Sugino heaved, believing that he might actually go insane if he stays near the redhead any longer.

"Possibility of it working is quite high, considering how much he relies on money," Nagisa noted, scribbling the idea into his flip book.

 _"You're agreeing with him?!!"_ Sugino cried, running childishly to raven head's side like a 5 year old.   
_"Katsuna, do something!!!"_

Just then, a series of high pitched beeps interrupted the boy's wails.

"Ah, sorry about this," Nagisa apologised, flipping his focus to his persistent wrist watch.   
"I said that I'd go around with Kaede for a bit, I'm really sorry!!"

"Crap, that reminds me!" Sugino remarked, checking the time on his phone.   
"I wanted to catch up a bit with Kanzaki before the fireworks!"

"I hope you guys enjoy the rest of the festival!"

"O-oh right.." Katsuna mumbled, watching reluctantly as the last two remaining people that could save her from the now very apparent situation, scampered diligently off into the humming crowd.

_Why do I feel like I just got ditched?_   
_And with who out of all people..._

"I guess it's just me and you, Klutzuna," Karma sighed dramatically, jamming his hands into his trouser pockets.

"Of course the first thing that comes out your mouth is an insult," Katsuna grumbled, turning to walk away from the redhead.

After a few minutes of pacing through the festival, she finally stopped to address the boy who had decided to trail behind her in silence.

"Don't you have _anywhere else_ you need to be?" she spat, her tone dripping with irritation.

"Now that you ask that, _let me think,"_ Karma replied, placing a finger on his chin as he paused for a solid minute before a smirk graced his lips.  
"Nope."

_I'll kill him._

"You seemed _just fine_ ignoring me through the _whole_ of summer break," Katsuna jabbed, crossing her arms over her chest.   
"I was hoping that that would last for at least, let's say, _the rest of the year."_

 _"You wound me deeply,"_ Karma shuddered, feigning hurt as he grasped tightly at his chest.   
"But what's this?!"  
"It seems to me like you missed my company, _Sweetheart."_

 **"Absolutely not!"** Katsuna shot back, her cheeks pink with a mixture of anger and embarrassment.  
"You have to be severely deluded if you think that I'd ever- ** _HMPH!"_**

Katsuna widened her eyes as her mouth was quickly covered by a brazen hand, seizing the sound of her voice in it's clasp. 

"Do you smell that?" Karma breathed, closing his eyes to take deeply inhale the scent that had filled the surrounding air.

He opened her eyes back open, a shining light sparkling in his mercury orbs.

"Cotton Candy!"

_I've got a bad feeling about this._

In a flash, Karma had grabbed hold of Katsuna's wandering hand and was pulling her through the crowd, closer to the source of the delicious mouthwatering aroma.

"W-wait!" Katsuna gasped, barely keeping herself from tripping over her own two feet.

_Jeez.. he's like an ecstatic dog on a short leash._

_Dammit._

_If this idiot doesn't stop.._

_I'm going to-_

On command, Katsuna tripped up on a stone laying in the path, sending her crashing towards the ground. Instinctively, she retracted her arms to shelter her face from the impending impact...

Which never came.

Katsuna blinked her golden eyes open nervously to see that a familiar redhead had managed to block her fall just in time.

Time seemed to slow down as Karma lifted his head to meet her startled gaze, just inches away from his own.

_S-so close.._

The ends of their noses barley grazed against each other as they felt each other's heated pants on their skin. The moment seemed to last an eternity as she stared into his mercury orbs, too flustered to work up any energy to speak.

"Nice zits," Karma smirked, slicing the atmosphere with a sharpened blade.   
**  
_T-this guy.._**  
  
"You're dead," Katsuna scowled, narrowing her eyes into slits. 

The redhead chuckled aggravatingly in response, standing up from his couched position. 

"Is that anyway to speak to someone who just saved you from a nasty scrape," he goaded, flipping his crimson locks off of his forehead. 

"Save it _Prince Charming,"_ she retorted, dusting her knees off. 

"No-one's buying that act for a second."

 _"Prince Charming hmmm.."_ Karma snickered, his scheming mind reflecting in his expression. 

"So in this case, that would make you the _Princess_ in this fairy tale, yes?" 

"Piss off Akabane," Katsuna grumbled, his attitude beginning to give her a headache.

_I came here to do something different for once.._

_How did I wind up with this asshole?_

_I must really have the worst luck possible._

The forgotten aroma in the air suddenly filled Katsuna's nostrils with a tasty scent, distracting her from her internal rant. 

_Though, candyfloss does sound delicious.._

"Does this mean the Princess wants to spend more time with her beloved Prince?" Karma teased, tailing behind the raven head as she began to make her way closer to a certain stall.

Katsuna bit down on her tongue in an attempt to not express any sort of reaction that would only encourage the boy more. 

_After all, fairy tales don't exist in this life or the next._


	55. A Display of Emotion

_The forgotten aroma in the air suddenly filled Katsuna's nostrils with a tasty scent, distracting her from her internal rant._

_Though, candyfloss does sound delicious.._

_"Does this mean the Princess wants to spend more time with her beloved Prince?" Karma teased, tailing behind the raven head as she began to make her way closer to a certain stall._

_Katsuna bit down on her tongue in an attempt to not express any sort of reaction that would only encourage the boy more._

_After all, fairy tales don't exist in this life or the next._

~~~~~

After a **very serious** showdown of _'who could eat their extra large stick of irresistibly delicious candyfloss the quickest'_ , the duo unintentionally found themselves wandering aimlessly together through the decorated stands and booths.

Having never experienced something like this before, Katsuna spent her time gazing in wonderment at the array of colours and scents ambushing her senses with every corner she turned; Karma quietly observing her like an audience member, with each expression acting like a scene in a movie.

The raven head stared as customers occupied the outer parts of stalls, sampling mulled wine and succulent skewered meat; fondling rich golden tokens and cosy velvet clothing.

Below them, stood younger children with painted faces, munching on paid for sweet treats and snacks. Ice creams wobbled dangerously over the light brown wafer cones, dripping down in thin white sticky lines onto their small chubby fingers as they began to melt.

Faint upbeat music could be heard from a place she couldn't detect due to the ambient noise of public chatter, accompanied with the occasional happy high pitched scream suddenly piercing the air. 

With the darkness creeping over the once baby blue sky, soon enough, the cool feeling of the youthful night air could be found prickling the pale skin on Katsuna's arms as she rubbed her hands together, silently regretting the idea of not bringing a jumper along. 

Karma, seemingly catching the subtle action with his mercury orbs, proceeded to take his own jacket off before carelessly throwing it over the girl beside him. 

"The hell?!" Katsuna spat in surprise as the piece of heavy clothing, not so gracefully, landed straight on her head. 

Once the fabric was successfully pulled away from blocking her line of sight, she was met with a smirking redhead, now sporting a dark maroon shirt, who couldn't find the moment more amusing. Katsuna inadvertently found her eyes drifting passed his lips and over towards the boy's toned arms as the short sleeves clung comfortably to his biceps; somehow making them seem larger and more defined. 

_"Who knew the Princess could be such a pervert?"_ Karma snickered, no doubt noticing her previous actions. 

With her trance state broken, Katsuna turned beetroot red upon realisation that she had just eye boggled the crimson ass's muscles in clear view of his prying orbs. 

_"S-Shut up!"_ she stuttered defensively, watching in annoyance as his smirk only grew from her flustered state, the added 'Princess' not helping the situation in the slightest.

Milking his knew found teasing technique, in every moment he could, Karma would sneak in the pet name just for the sake of his own enjoyment, catching sight of each of Katsuna's exasperated expressions. 

_"T-There was just a fly.. and.. it was about to land-"_

"You know, aside from everything," Karma interrupted, slinging his arms back so they sat snugly around the back of his head.

**"You're a terrible liar."**

The crimson head nodded nonchalantly over to her composure before carrying on. 

"And I know that because you always curl your right middle finger tightly over your left, just like you're doing now." 

Katsuna immediate fell conscious of her actions, breaking her hands apart in a futile attempt to brandish his words untruthful. 

"Oh, and if you're cold, don't just stand there like a blubbering idiot," he teased, turning his head around to meet her defying glare. 

"Put the jacket on, or are you still in a state that you can't function when staring at me?" 

"I wasn't staring at you!" Katsuna spluttered frustratingly, hurrying alongside the boy as he began to speed up. 

"Look down at your hands and say that again," he called, chuckling slightly as a loud huff could be heard from behind him. 

_Fucking Akabane._

~~~~~ _  
_

After a while, the pair began to noticed that families and friends, who were visiting the summer festival, had begun to find places to rest, their faces mimicking the expression of anticipation.

"10:50, shit," Karma mumbled under his breath as he finished glancing at his wrist watch, earning a rather confused look from the raven head beside him. 

"Keep up this time will ya?"

His next actions caught Katsuna off guard completely as he grasped on to her hand, now sprinting through the crowds of people towards higher ground. 

"Slow down you moron!" she cried, barely keeping her feet from stumbling below her. 

Earlier events involving the sickly sweet scent of candyfloss suddenly flashed into her mind as she experienced some serious déjà vu amongst the rush of adrenaline. 

With no sign of the redhead easing up, Katsuna could only focus on her breathing as they began to climb steeper and steeper up the pathway. 

Feeling as if they had just sprinted the entity of a marathon, the pair finally reached the top of a nearby cliff, gasping for oxygen to once again fill their lungs.

"You.. crazy.. bastard..!" Katsuna heaved, collapsing onto the ground below.

"Just.. because.. you're.. unfit..," Karma panted, following suit right after. 

"Shut up.. you.. demon..," she responded aggressively, craning her head up to peer at the redhead's wheezing form. 

"You're just.. as dead as.. me..!"

Dragging his wrist in front of his view, Karma grinned widely as only 6 minutes had passed, silently patting himself on the shoulder for his efforts despite the displeasure on a certain somebody's features. 

"So you gonna tell me why you pulled me up here or not?" Katsuna grumbled, brushing the small pieces of dirt from her knees. 

Thickly dark green boughs arched over the path they had followed, competing for the already lack of light. Now stood in a slight clearing, the duo were surrounded with outgrown roots, wildflowers and fallen leaves that would crunch beneath their shoes. The subdued sound of the ongoing festival could be heard in the distance amongst the subtle rustling as a light breeze swept through the wildlife. 

"You'll see pretty soon," Karma shrugged casually, turning to walk towards the edge of the cliff side that provided a wide overview of the lit up town below. 

Extremely disgruntled by the boy's half-hearted response after the way he almost stormed up the path like his life depended on it, Katsuna peeled herself from her spot to openly express her rampaging thoughts. 

"Just what the hell are you playing at!?" she accused, marching towards the redhead in a fit of anger. 

"First you act like I don't exist throughout the entirety of summer break, then you reappear suddenly and start following me around and now you've dragged me up a god forsaken mountain climb with no fucking explanation!" 

"I feel like I'm running in circles with you with all your bullshit insults and then your sudden 180s when you act all serious and even concerned for me; Jesus it's giving me a headache just thinking about it!" 

"Why do you have to make everything so goddamn confusing!" she finished, her raggedy breaths filling the silence between the two. 

**"You're the difficult one here."**

_Huh?_

Katsuna's breath hitched in surprise as the redhead's hand gripped onto her lower chin firmly, allowing no escape from his sharp searching eyes. For a split second, she could have sworn a hint of vulnerability could've been sensed under the swarming pool of intensity before the emotion was shut off completely. 

"You always make it so hard for me to hold back," he hushed, never breaking eye contact for a second. 

_H-hold back??_

As if reading her confused flustered state like a book, Karma narrowed his eyes slightly, beginning to let his selfish desires gradually seep into the forefront of his thoughts. 

"Oh come on, you seriously haven't noticed me like that?"

As if someone above had flicked a switch, relevant memories and forbidden feelings began to filter one by one into Katsuna's mind, the sensation mixed with the lack of privacy quickly turned to embarrassment as her cheeks blew up cherry red and her eyes just as swiftly diverted to anywhere but his. 

_I can't.._

As if the unintentional answer was written plainly on her features, the now taken back Karma subconsciously loosened his grip just enough for the girl to jerk away from him, allowing some much needed breathing room for herself. 

_"W-wait, do you-"_

"Not another word Akabane," Katsuna ordered, silencing the boy in a one fast motion. 

_That's right._

"Don't get the wrong idea you asshole, there's no way in hell I'd ever fall for the likes of you!"

_The bastard is just teasing me._

"You're an annoying, arrogant, self-righteous prick and I'd die before I ever even think of you in that way!" 

Contradicting her harsh words, the violent hammering of her heart that threatened to send her blood pressure rising above abnormal levels seemed in no way to be easing up. If she wasn't careful, a cardiac arrest seemed like the deadly end result to this outburst.

"Dammit! Dammit! Dammit!" Katsuna cursed to herself, ashamed for getting fired up and satisfying another set of the redhead's provoking method. 

Breaking her internal conflict, a series of genuine laughter flaunted in the air, making the raven head peer up to face the crimson boy. She watched in silent confusion as Karma, instead of seemingly laughing at her flustered state, was actually subtly chuckling to himself, his dimples now glowing in the silver moonlight. 

For the first time since Katsuna had met the boy, he seemed to be.. **real.**

**_BANG!_ **

Interrupting the moment, was a ear pounding explosion as an array of bright vivid colours hit against the black canvas sky like paint, sizzling slightly as the sparks fell from the stars. Every streak bares a curve of sorts, brilliant lines with a living feel, organic in the way they grow. Each one drew a pattern into the sky, something unique and breathtaking, never to be repeated exactly no matter how many are ignited and sent to their sky-bound destiny.

Absolutely captivated by the scene, Katsuna marvelled like a child enjoying the thrill of shuddering at the sudden bangs for the first time, smiling slightly at her own startled gasps as the splat of colours electrified the night. Having only seen fireworks from her tiny living room window, a secluded front row seat of the event seemed like something out of a dream, yet here she was. 

_So this is what he meant._

**"I have something to tell you."**

The simple statement pierced through the night like a knife. 

Katsuna stripped her burning orbs from the sight, curious to learn the redhead's following words. She found herself drifting them up towards him as he kept his own trained on the display before them. 

_"I think.."_

_"I think I've-"_

_**BANG!** _

The impatient combustion of the firework surpassed the sound of Karma's voice, swallowing his words in a single mouthful. 

_"What?"_ Katsuna called, turning her volume up as a means to encourage him to do the same.

A small smile caressed the shape of his lips as Karma sighed deeply, the noticeably sink in his shoulders demonstrating an invisible weight rolling off. 

_"What did you say?"_ she repeated clearly, more than anything hating the fact that she'd been left on a cliffhanger. 

The redhead glanced over to the prying orbs of the girl beside him, the gears in his head churning in response. 

_"Oh wouldn't you like to know Princess,"_ Karma smirked, effortlessly turning on his foot to walk back down the woodland path, signalling the end of the display.

"You can't do that!" Katsuna cried childishly, storming after the sauntering redhead in a huff. 

"Do what?" he replied nonchalantly, tucking his hands into his back jean pockets as he dodged a swatting hand. 

"Leave me hanging you asshole, now spill the beans before I end you!" 

"But it's more entertaining to watch you squirm about like a _lil wittle piggy."_

"You sadistic bastard, I'll kill you in your sleep!"

_"Oh Princess, you wound my fragile little heart when you speak to me so coldly."_

**"I hate you, you fucking... UGH!"**


	56. Kaede's Appetising Attempt

"This there a reason why I was dragged out of re-watching the entirety of Inuyasha from the comforts of my sofa to now be standing in front of a giant metallic.. _structure?"_ Rio groaned, scratching the back of her head as she gazed up at the enormous _thing_ before her. 

"Shut it Blondie, let me explain!" Kaede declared, standing on a tiny podium in front of the structure to demonstrate her authority in the matter. 

_And someone tell me why the hell **Miss. No Tits** is in charge here._

"First, I'd like to thank you all for coming to the campus today, even though we are still on summer break," the green haired girl began, earning herself a mediocre nod from the weary eyed students gathered beneath her. 

_Maybe the idea of getting a group of teenagers together at the crack of dawn wasn't the best of options.._

_"A-Ahem-m.."_ she coughed, dismissing her doubts before proceeding on with the speech. 

"Our Nation is in a current state of emergency regarding poultry farmers misconduct in the way they throw out their eggs!" 

"I heard about that on the news the other day," Isogai popped up, his background of being in a rough family backing up his concerned tone. 

"The National overproduction of eggs being discarded in large batches when they can feed up to thousands of families, it's a complete and utter waste."

"Exactly," Kaede exclaimed, nodding firmly in agreement before shuffling the section of papers in her hands. 

"So I've come up with a plan to salvage those rejected goods and assassinate Koro-sensei in a way that he won't ever see coming!" 

Upon the mention of killing their teacher, the students were immediately interested, knowing that they'll take any chance they can to not miss an opportunity to catch the octopus off guard. 

With the second term approaching fast, the deadline for promised world destruction crept closer and closer and with that, the class could only think up more creative and inventive ways of assassinating their target in hopes that one will be successful. 

"So what you gonna do, throw eggs at him until he submits to us?" Terasaka sneered sarcastically, leaning comfortably against a nearby tree trunk. 

"On the contrary, I gave it a tad more thought than that," Kaede grinned playfully, gesturing to the machine behind her. 

"This here is a gigantic mold, kindly donated by the government once they saw the immense potential in my assassination plan."

 _"Kindly donated may be a bit strong.."_ Karasuma muttered to himself, recalling his earlier meeting with the less than impressed officials in control of the delicate world wide matter.

"Wait, a mold.. and those eggs.. _don't tell me.."_ Okuda marvelled, the pieces of the puzzle gradually fitting into place. 

"That's right!" Kaede smiled, thrilled to see someone catching on to her idea.

**"Class 3-E is going to make one ginormous pudding!"**

The class of junior high students were now pumped with a new found excitement, casting off their earlier dreariness with thoughts for their upcoming project. 

"It's actually a decent plan," Nagisa complimented, venturing into his flip book full of notes on the target.

"Koro-sensei does have a serious sweet tooth, it may end up being his downfall."

"Precisely!" Kaede replied cheerfully, placing her hands on her hips. 

"Plus, it was only the other day when I heard him say what a dream come true it would be to gorge on a mountain of pudding, which only confirms it!"

"What do you bet that it's just to satisfy her own pudding fantasies?" Rio snickered into Katsuna's ear, referring to the multiple occasions where Kaede had expressed her much love for sweet treats.

Katsuna chuckled lightly in response, knowing full well that is 99% of the case before being rudely interrupted by a grumbling brutish voice from behind.

"I'm failing to see how we can kill the octopus with this plan," Terasaka barked over the mild chatter, his doubts proving heavy on the situation. 

"Besides giving the sea urchin some major type 2 diabetes problems." 

"A-ha!" Kaede pronounced joyfully, almost forgetting the most important part.

"The idea is to plant an anti-sensei bb bomb at the base of the pudding, so as he munches his way down to the bottom, we remote detonate and blow him sky high along with pieces of pudding!" 

"This could actually work," Katsuna considered, placing a thoughtful finger on her chin. 

"And as an added bonus, Kaede isn't usually this proactive so there's the crucial element of surprise." 

"That settles it then," Isogai announced, slamming his palms together to gather everyone's attention.

**"Operation Pudding Pot is a go!"**

~~~~~

With the students working hard under the precise orders of Kaede, the monstrous pudding recipe was coming along splendidly. 

"In with the next batches!" the green haired leader declared, signalling the splodgy sound of creamy mixture rushing through the pipes and into the kind sized mold. 

The concept was to increase the amount of cream as the layers piled on top of one another, creating a sturdy firm base whilst also taking in account that the first layers don't bare too much weight. She'd also discovered that using a substance called Algar was far more suitable for such a colossal pudding as it has a higher melting point than gelatin and is denser whilst not diverting from it's classic taste. 

"Err Kaede, what's up with these coloured cube things?" Kataoka inquired, expressing an interest in the vividly coloured shapes. 

"They're fruit sauce and mousse in edible starch wrappers," she explained, holding up the squishy sweet that was as large as her own head. 

"Whilst vanilla is delicious and all, it would get a little boring if you had the same taste all the way through, so these would add the occasional burst fruity flavour to ensure maximum pleasure when eating!" 

"Wow, you've really thought is through," Kataoka acknowledged, encouraging a beaming smile to surface on Kaede's lips. 

"Now, once the mold's filled to the top, drop the lid on and let it chill overnight!"

~~~~~

The class let out an exhausted sigh once they were finished, only noticing now that the sky had turned a dark amber with the late evening gradually coming to a close. 

Katsuna turned to gaze up at the crescent moon that had decided to make an early appearance amongst the clear fluffy clouds. Her thoughts diverted from the pudding making to Koro-sensei, the juxtaposing monster who she had just made a deadly dessert for. 

She hadn't paid much mind to his teaching methods, brandishing them strange.. but somehow that standard had now become the unprecedented norm. Saving her from a grizzly death had been an eye opener to his kind heart, though, whenever he was confronted with it, the octopus made sure to put on a thrilling display to put those comments to rest. 

One on one, the pair had only spoken once yet somehow, he'd squirmed himself deeper than she had previously expected. Maybe that was down to her carelessness in the earlier months of the year or maybe it was because, despite everything, Koro-sensei was a teacher first and foremost and the care of his students runs deeper than could be ever imagined. 

There's no doubt that since the Okinawa incident, his keen eyes had been trained closer on her actions now that Takaoka had spilled the secrets she'd kept buried deep down. She had noticed his frequent visits to her hospital earlier in the month, checking in to see if everything was going okay because they both knew that there was no-one else that would be at home, waiting to ask.

No-one had mentioned it but the unspoken questions laid thick in the atmosphere, even when Katsuna did her best to bypass it. Though, it wasn't like she could blame them, heck even she wouldn't know where to begin. Regardless, Katsuna knew she would have to have the nail-biting conversation soon, out of respect for her classmates accepting her whilst knowing her flaws and for herself, who for so many years, kept the truth tucked tightly in her pocket, ashamed and afraid of what would happen once it unfolded. 

It's a miracle she was still standing now, but it was only a matter of time before something happened. 

And that something was the one thing she feared most. 

**Yet, in spite of that, this time she wasn't running.**

"Well Kaede really took the cat out of the bag with this one," Karma interjected, snapping Katsuna out of her thoughts. 

"Who knew the girl would be a expert on gigantic puddings?"

"Makes me wonder though," Katsuna responded thoughtfully, returning herself to the present as she peered down at her green haired friend chatting excitedly with Nagisa. 

"It's definitely an unusual sight to see her taking charge of something as massive and as complicated as this, it's a shame it doesn't happen more often." 

"I see what you mean," Karma replied lazily, stretching out his arms high above his head.

"I kinda pegged her for the supportive type in these sorts of operations, yet she's in full swing mode here."

"I guess she's just really passionate about food," Katsuna shrugged, the mention of something edible now really sounding appetising to her as her stomach growled loudly. 

"I don't wanna hear another word," she retorted defensively, shooting the redhead a dirty look as he unsuccessfully held back his snickering behind a loosely fingered hand. 

_"Not another word."_

~~~~~

The next morning came quicker than expected and soon enough, it was time for the finishing touches on Class E's giant dessert.

After checking if it had firmed up enough, the pipes that had been circulating cold air throughout the night were removed from the sides of the container, before the external lock was finally released, exposing the creamy goodness in all it's glory. 

"We're not done yet guys!" Kaede warned, pointing to the buckets of soften gelatin and Algar beside the shed. 

Carefully, the students lathered the sides with the sticky mixture, adding just a bit more firmness to the pudding before covering the top with thick sweet caramel sauce just before using a blow torch to lightly brûlée for a final touch. 

The students stood back, admiring their masterpiece with widen eyes and gaped mouths. 

"We did it!" they chorused together, jumping in ecstatic exhilaration as they marvelled at their creation. 

"My mouth won't stop watering it's that tasty looking!" Sugino grinned, wiping the drool from his lips. 

"You completely forget that there's a bomb hidden in there," Rio chuckled, pulling out her phone to take a quick selfie with the finished dessert. 

Kaede's recipe was a success but now, all they had to do was serve it. 

~~~~~

His expression said it all. 

As if the octopus had reached out and touched a heavenly angel's hand, his eyes were completely clouded with ecstasy and want with the pool of drool, inches away from his tentacles, growing larger by the second. 

"N-no way, it's all for m-me!?" Koro-sensei blurted, hardly containing his eagerness just like a panting dog waiting for it's owner to give them a bone. 

"We wanted to show our appreciation for you and welcome you to another term of fun!" Kaede grinned innocently, her lies absolutely flawlessly delivered. 

"This was all Kaede's idea, but we all thought you deserved a present for all your hard work!" Rio chimed, the heartfelt compliment proving effect as the octopus began to cry rivers in front of his students. 

"You pure lovely soul," he bawled, holding up Kaede's hands gentle with his tentacles. 

"You've made me so happy, words cannot express this enough."

"You're very welcome," she twinkled in response, opting for a closed eye smile. 

"Now remember, we worked really hard on it so please eat every bite Sensei!"

"Not a problem!" the octopus salivated, digging out two garden trowels which were supposingly his utensils for this meal. 

In a flash, Koro-sensei dived head first into the awaiting dessert, leaving the students in his dust. Most of them had left already to view the scene from the campus hallways, only Kaede was left rooted in her position, staring motionless as the pudding was devoured. 

_"Hey, what are you waiting for?"_ Katsuna whispered calmly, nudging the girl to knock her back to reality. 

_"Let's go before we cause any suspicion."_

_"R-right.."_ Kaede mumbled, peeling her focus away from the dessert slowly before venturing back up the slope and towards the old campus building. 

"Jeez, the guy is really getting into it huh?" Maehara commented plainly, watching the display from behind the windows. 

"I doubt it would take more than 5 minutes for him to reach the bottom," Okajima determined, raising a selective eyebrow at his teacher's sheer speed.

"Not to worry though," Takebayashi stated clearly, keeping his eyes trained on the computer screen in front of him. 

"I installed a security camera alongside the bomb so we know the precise moment to press the remote detonate."

Katsuna side eyed the green haired student, noticing how her behaviour became gradually more odd with every passing second. 

Kaede seemed to be in a sort of trance like state, staring desperately at the creation through the glass. Every couple of moments, she would mumbled something under her breath, too quiet for Katsuna to hear but it was obvious that whatever is was about, it was making her extremely agitated and fidgety. 

Suddenly, as if a cord had snapped, Kaede screeched at the top of her lungs, her expression in absolute anguish as she began to whack her head aggressively against the window. 

"I CAN'T LET SOMETHING I'VE PUT MY HEART AND SOUL INTO BE TAKEN AWAY LIKE THIS!"

"Kaede, calm down!" Sugino whimpered, his remark deeming itself useless against her harsh shouts. 

"It's just a goddamn pudding, not somebodies newborn, get a grip!" Terasaka blared, grabbing hold of Kaede's small form in a somewhat successful attempt to stop her from hurting herself more. 

"WE CAN'T LET THIS HAPPEN!" Kaede screamed, failing around aggressively in the boy's chunky arms. 

**"SOMEBODY GET THAT OCTOPUS AWAY FROM MY PUDDING!!!"**

Just then, Koro-sensei landed straight in the middle of the gathered students, leaving a trail of smoke in his wake as his presence shocked the students into silence.. even Kaede.

"Phew, I just had to give my jaw a small break," he spoke, rubbing his swollen yellow cheeks with a softened tentacle. 

"Oh and another thing," he paused, revealing a rectangular dark green object from under his black teacher's cloak.

"I found this amongst all the deliciousness and my guess is that it's not been misplaced."

_Shit.. it's the bomb._

"I caught a whiff of the plastic explosives whilst tunnelling my way through the middle of the creamy goodness and proceeded to burrow myself under the dirt to retriever what I might believe is your handy work Takebayashi?" Koro-sensei directed. 

"That it is," the student replied, pressing up his glasses shamefully as his handy work had let the team down. 

"Well done, it's an extremely neat piece of equipment you've made," his teacher praised, patting his head lightly in appreciation. 

"However, I believe next time you'll take the sense of smell into account." 

The boy sighed slightly before looking back up to Koro-sensei and nodding firmly.

"In the words of Thomas Edison, ' _I have not failed. I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work.'"_ he replied, earning himself an approving grin from his teacher. 

"Precisely right!" Koro-sensei cheered before chomping down on the bomb like it was a snack bar.

"Now my children, since you all worked so hard on this, it's only fair if you get to try your own handy work yourselves!" 

The octopus directed the students to the classroom where on each desk was a single sundae glass filled to the top with a serving of delicious pudding. 

"So he gets the drop on us once again," Maehara laughed slightly, holding the pudding glass up to his nose. 

"Except this time, at least we get something good out of it, unlike his normal lectures," Kanzaki chuckled, gulping down a large spoonful of the scrumptious concoction with a delightful grin. 

"Not so fast my dear girl," Koro-sensei interrupted, alerting the attention of the class as he held up an egg in between this tentacles. 

"Consuming eggs heading for the landfill is strictly speaking a violation of sound economic principals, therefore we'll be studying the importance of that rule in our next civics class."

 _"Great..."_ she drawled in response, clearly unimpressed with yet another upcoming talk. 

"It's a shame the plan went tits up," Karma discounted, taking a great big load of pudding in one go. 

_"Bugh I'm nough really complaging abough this oughcome."_

"Wow, could you not speak with your mouth full like that?" Katsuna groused, physically recoiling as bits of chewed dessert spat in her direction. 

_"Shugh up idiough!"_

"Don't take this the wrong way but I was surprised to see you up and running the show," Nagisa admitted, redirecting the conversation back to Kaede who only giggled in response. 

"It was fun, don't get me wrong.. I guess it just took me by surprise that's all."

 _"I see.."_ Kaede mumbled, a small smile tucked under her green locks. 

It was only for a split second.. but Katsuna could have sworn she felt a sudden cold chill run down the back of her neck before the sensation disappeared as quick as it came. She darted her eyes to the sides swiftly, acknowledging that it was only her who had seemed to feel the same startling feeling. 

Maybe that's why she was so quick to shut it down, believing it was just her mind making tricks on her. 

Katsuna returned her focus back on conversation at hand, shaking the previous sensation off with just a flick of her head. 

"Well that's what it is to be an assassin," Kaede announced, staring down at her pudding glass with a wide grin spread on her lips.

_"Not even your closest friends know your true blade."_


	57. Second Term - Start!

"GO! GO! GO!" Sugino chanted urgently, sprint jumping across the moss covered boulders in his sweaty p.e. uniform. 

"Who knows how much distance we've put between us and Mr K!"

"Woah, I didn't realise how much stamina I've built up over the past few months!" Nagisa exclaimed proudly, using the strength in his arms to swing himself on the vines, crossing the mountain stream with ease.

"A game of Cops and Robbers really is a great way to see how far we've come!"

The boys shared a humorous grin as they proceeded to parkour through the woodland terrain they've come to learn inside and out. Alert to their surroundings, the pair swiftly whipped their heads up to the sound of rustling tree leaves just in time to see a pair of shoes descending through the air. 

Thinking Karasuma had decided to get the drop on them, the boys instinctively darted to the side in an attempt to maintain some sort of distance between them and their opponent. Noticing the flowing raven locks of hair first as the mystery player landed elegantly onto the dried dirt ground below, Nagisa's raging heart pace dramatically decreased. 

"You scared the life out of me Katsuna," he breathed, placing a hand on his panting chest as his fellow classmate turned to face him. 

"Sorry guys!" she smiled nervously, stretching out her arms high above her head. 

"I was using the trees to keep my presence hidden the best I could, Karasuma-sensei is an absolute beast!"

"Tell me about it," Sugino sighed deeply, hunching over his knees to assemble back some of his lost breaths. 

"Don't think I missed those eery screams from what sounded like Sosuke earlier, I'm terrified just thinking about it!"

"Well, let's keep moving so we don't find ourselves next on this afternoons menu," Nagisa shuddered, glancing down at his watch sharply.

"There's about 15 minutes left on the clock and there's still a good few of us left."

"Great, let's keep it that way," Katsuna nodded firmly, surveying her surroundings like hawk before cutting across the path to venture down stream.

~~~~~

After a while of using the sound of gushing river water as cover for their movements, Sugino's keen sight spotted a familiar green haired girl poking her head through the camouflage of a set of overgrown bushes. 

Failing to keep a low profile, the baseball fanboy began waving his arms in the air frantically, trying to capture his classmate's attention as he grew nearer to her position. 

Kaede caught sight of the student in an instant, her eyes wide in horror as she began to make several hysterical hand gestures to which only confused the boy to no ends. Luckily, just before Sugino shouted out her name, Katsuna launched herself towards him, tackling the boy to the ground roughly before rolling out of sight with her hand clamped over his mouth. 

Behind a 1.5 metre high (at best) rock, the duo silently hid, just in time to catch a glimpse of Karasuma as his military built body barrelled passed like lightning, his army boots pounding deafeningly on the ground below.

The noise suddenly stopped, sending their's nerves spiking up as they believed their positions had been compromised. Katsuna peeped her head to the side, catching sight of Nagisa who had managed to leap up into one of the trees hanging above the track. 

The pair shared a quick look of fear, mentally trying to figure out a plan to escape the area without being seen. However, interrupting their eye contact was Karasuma himself as he began shouting angrily down the phone. 

"What do you mean you let the prisoners escape?!" 

_"~~~~~~"_

"Don't tell me you've been taking bribes!" 

_"~~~~~~"_

"So help me pal, if you let anymore escape, I'll personally have your head!" 

Karasuma ended the call with an aggressive click before raking a stressed hand through his spiky hair. 

_"Note to self, never let a mutated creature with a boob fetish guard a bunch of junior high students,"_ he muttered under his breath, groaning slightly. 

_"Dammit, he's putting me off my game."_

Listening out until the noise of thumping boots could no longer be heard, Katsuna let out a strong exhale of breath as she released her hold on Suigno. 

"Oh thank god, sweet sweet air!" he gasped, greedily engulfing the oxygen around him. 

"Haha.. sorry about that," Katsuna chuckled guilty, scratching her neck in slight discomfort.

"I completely forgot I was covering your airways." 

"It's all good, just make sure you say hi at my funeral," he joked cheerfully, jumping up to a standing posture before lending out an open palmed hand. 

Katsuna smiled at the friendly gesture, taking the boy's hand in her own as he helped pull her up. 

"Talk about a close one," Nagisa commented, leaping down from his perch to the space just beside the raven head. 

"Thankfully, lady luck is on our side," Kaede perked up, directing a piercing glare to the black haired boy who laughed it off uneasily. 

"Hey Okuda, you can come out now, it's safe!" she called back, notifying the other's of the timid girl's presence.

Class 3-E's science genius peeked her head out from same hiding place as Kaede, adjusting her glasses apprehensively as she turned to focus on her gathered classmates. 

"H-Hi again.." Okuda stumbled, lowering her head slightly out of instinct. 

"We've been staying hidden pretty much for this whole lesson," Kaede revealed, dividing the attention between the two of them.

"Okuda's not too good at the physical side of things but she's exceptionally clever in the art of concealing her appearance." 

The mousy girl shuffled uncomfortably at the compliment, not used to getting this much attention in one sitting as the others nodded in acknowledgement. 

Incidentally, Katsuna found herself comparing herself to the class scientist in certain ways, ranging from appearance to academic skill. Beneath it all, the revelation that in most departments she found herself exceeding that of Okuda's gave her an ugly sick sense of satisfaction. 

_What the hell am I doing?_

Katsuna rapidly jerked her judging eyes away from her classmate, immediately ridden with shame for thinking such obnoxious thoughts about someone who had never done her wrong. 

_This isn't like me._

_Correlating and critiquing someone else's personality traits against my own; it shouldn't matter one bit and yet.._

"So, what do you think Katsuna?" Suigno asked, breaking the raven head from her thoughts. 

"Huh?" she responded obliviously, having completely missed the entire discussion.

"We were thinking of breaking some of the others out.." Nagisa informed, hesitating slightly before carrying on. 

"But it seems they've already harnessed their own tactics."

Katsuna recalled her teacher's distressed conversation, grinning amusingly at the idea of the class resorting to dirty tricks to bypass Koro-sensei's tame defence. 

_Classic E Class._

"Well I guess, the best idea right now is to-" 

Katsuna stopped mid sentence, the hairs on the back of her neck standing on end as every cell in her felt like it was running at 100 miles per minute. 

A split second later, Karasuma's full gorilla muscled body stormed into view from behind a parallel gap in the trees, charging towards the group of shocked-still rabbits like a world war battle tank. 

_Oh shit._

**"RUN!!"**

On cue, the group legged it through the woodland terrain, their bodies and brains in full survival mode as their lungs screamed inside of their chests. Katsuna's breath came in small spurts, hot and nervous as she sprinted in the only direction she knew in this state of mind, forward. 

Her face was flushed red with an expression of pure panic, detecting that Okuda had dropped off like a fly somewhere back down the path. 

Amongst the adrenaline rush, Katsuna also fleetly noticed the mountain stream curving round to the right, which meant only one thing. 

They were going to have to jump the rushing water.

Sugino, coming to the exact same realisation, yelled the only sensible course of action one could take in this case. 

**"EVERY MAN FOR THEMSELVES!"**

Mentally estimating the width of the river, the speed needed and the distance she'd need to run to cross it by eye, Katsuna could only pray that she wouldn't slip on the edge of the soften bank. 

_There's only one way to find out I guess._

Forcibly thrusting her doubts to the side, the raven head began to channel her breathing more precisely, simultaneously shutting off each of her senses which meant she had to place her trust fully in her instinctual movements as she raced forward. 

_Here goes!_

Upon reaching zero, the assassin hurled herself forward from her right foot, bitterly ignoring the painful twinge that stabbed her shin.

Time seemed to slow down considerably as she opened her eyes in mid air. Just for that millisecond, Katsuna allowed herself to release the strain on her lips, replacing the panic with a ecstatic bright look as the buzzing stimulation of being chased finally hit her full fold. 

Landing the jump with a skillfully executed head roll, Katsuna cleared the stream with nothing but a few scrapes decorating her knee caps, just as the whistle blew to signal the end of the game. 

Glancing exhaustively over her shoulder, it was obvious that Sugino hadn't managed to be as successful, judging by the large red hand print marking the back of his soaking wet shirt. Kaede was stood heaving air beside a surprised looking Mr K, seemingly not having even bothered trying, not that she blamed her. 

To Katsuna's surprise, the only one who had accomplished the jump besides herself was the breathless blue haired boy, who had collapsed on the ground just a few meters from her own crouched position. 

_How did he.._

Sensing her stare, Nagisa lifted his head slightly, turning to face her direction before holding up a weak thumbs up with a drained grin playing on his lips. Katsuna returned the gesture, an impressed smile stretched out on her own features. 

_I guess the second term is off to a promising start after all._

~~~~~

The remaining students gathered back at the old campus, allowing their adrenaline levels time to ease after the morning training session. Since summer break had ended, Karasuma had amplified the intensity of the E class's P.E and after school drills, pushing the ambitious student's to their limits which was proving more and more difficult each time. 

There was no doubt the class had grown much stronger since beginning their training in early March, with now every one of them being able to land at least two hits on their military enforcement teacher which had seemed somewhat impossible only 2 months ago.

Whilst positively assured by their progress, Karasuma knew that his students still had a long road ahead of them. However, with the amount of sheer drive brimming inside each one of them, it was an undeniable fact that they would continue to preserve until the end. 

"Aha, you're back Karasuma-sensei!" Koro-sensei hollered from across the field, attiring a police officer cosplay which indubitably was to fit his role as the prison guard.

Karasuma scrunched up his face into a scowl as he marched towards his associate with clear vexation stinging his slit eyes. Closely the gap between the two, the spiky haired teacher reached his hand towards the octopus's right chest pocket. He pulled out a photograph of a rather revealing swimsuit model which irrefutably must have been a student's way of enticing their teacher to let them escape his clutches. 

"Mind explaining what this is?!" he growled, forcibly shoving the picture into the perverted culprit's face. 

"O-Oh u-umm..." Koro-sensei stuttered nervously, his cheeks bright pink with embarrassment as he rummaged through his head for excuses.

With his forehead etched in visible popping veins, Karasuma snatched the police badge off the octopus's uniform, deeming him unfit as a law enforcement officer as he continued to lecture his target.

**"Agent Karasuma, a word?"**

The request came from a short cut brown haired women dressed in a charcoal grey 3 piece suit. Her facial expression was engraved with distressing concern as she held a brown file book tightly under her arm, stamped with clear red 'Confidential' letters. Karasuma immediately straightened himself up, addressing his colleague from the government in a professional manner. He glanced over to the folder, gritting his teeth slightly in anguish.

**"In the staff room. Now."**

~~~~~

The classroom had split into diffused boxes of light chatter with the students making good use of the extra time before lesson started. Indisputably, something major had arisen with the government officials, causing the delay in their studies. 

Promptly, Class 3-E's rousing curiosity was cut as soon as Karasuma stepped through the door, his expression etched with alarm. Following closely behind was Professor Bitch and lastly Koro-sensei, who were both oddly silent as they scoured their eyes over the room. 

An ominous silence had swallowed the classroom with each student attentively facing the front, anticipating their teacher's words. 

**"Today, I have received word from the in-office higher ups that former military officer and teacher, Akira Takaoka,"** Karasuma paused, unintentionally catching the eye of Katsuna who had shifted uncomfortably slightly at the mention of the attacker's name.

**"Was found dead in his psychiatric ward at 11:32 pm, last night."**

Soundless gasps scattered around the class of students, taking the abrupt news with armed struggling emotions. 

**"It seems the man was driven to suicide by slitting his own throat."**

They knew the full extent of their ex-teacher's horrors, going as far as intending to kill them with a deadly man-made poison, which if not for the hired assassins' own moral compass, could have gone through successfully. In addition to this, Takaoka had been so obsessed with his revenge and redeeming his former status that he had come extremely close to ending the life of a junior high student with his own fists. 

Whilst juggling his past behaviour, none of the students believed, with a whole heart, that he deserved his own life to be taken. They had only wished for the man to be kept on a short leash, under the watchful eye of a superior and suitably punished for his actions. 

For him to have chosen a sickening exit to life, gave the class a hollow perception on how far one could fall in the system. 

Yet, for one student, the situation wasn't sitting right at all. 

Having come physically face to face with the sheer wrath of Takaoka's hatred, there was no way Katsuna could stomach the concept of that sensation just ending so clean cutly. With deep assurance, she knew that Takaoka would have held onto his antipathy emotions for as long as he lived, seeing no route where the man would have taken his own life due to his unbreakable resolve. 

_It didn't make sense._

"Intentionally, I wasn't planning to inform you," Karasuma hesitated, flickering his unsteady gaze towards the two teachers on his left.

"However, it is your right to know since he played a crucial role in each one of your lives." 

The class hummed lowly, some nodding their heads a little to showcase their understanding in the matter as Karasuma retreated back through the door, followed with Professor Bitch. 

Unquestionably, it'll be the topic hot on their tongues once lunch begins. 

"Despite the distressing turn this morning has taken," Koro-sensei started, dishing out calculus text books to each individual student. 

"These trig functions aren't going to integrate themselves." 


	58. Perving Pervy Perv Perv!

_Yet, for one student, the situation wasn't sitting right at all._

_Having come physically face to face with the sheer wrath of Takaoka's hatred, there was no way Katsuna could stomach the concept of that sensation just ending so clean cutly. With deep assurance, she knew that Takaoka would have held onto his antipathy emotions for as long as he lived, seeing no route where the man would have taken his own life due to his unbreakable resolve._

_It didn't make sense._

_"Intentionally, I wasn't planning to inform you," Karasuma hesitated, flickering his unsteady gaze towards the two teachers on his left._

_"However, it is your right to know since he played a crucial role in each one of your lives."_

_The class hummed lowly, some nodding their heads a little to showcase their understanding in the matter as Karasuma retreated back through the door, followed with Professor Bitch._

_Unquestionably, it'll be the topic hot on their tongues once lunch begins._

_"Despite the distressing turn this morning has taken," Koro-sensei started, dishing out calculus text books to each individual student._

_"These trig functions aren't going to integrate themselves."_

~~~~~

Drained from her academic studies, not to mention the unsparing exercise from that morning, Katsuna had nearly collapsed in a fit of relief as the bell signalled the end of the school day.

Surrounded by the heavy chatter of her classmates as they packed up and headed home, she fished into her pocket for her phone, meticulously scrolling through the latest news stories posted online.

_Nothing._

If anything, the revelation made Katsuna feel even less at ease each time it was revealed, as if it was waiting for the perfect time to pounce on her like predator and prey. Indisputably, the principal had cut ties with her situation without her even having to discuss it with him. There was no reason for her now to see him.

So, the question was, _why hadn't anything changed?_

_God, I **hate** feeling so on edge._

Suddenly, a sharp pain hit her cheek, snapping her startled gaze away from her phone and over to the right where a red headed boy was seated on top of his desk, grinning widely.

"Penny for ya thoughts _Princess?"_ he asked, subtly implying his impending interest.

"Flick me again and I'll snap your finger," Katsuna shot bluntly, standing up from her seat before slinging her bag over her shoulder.

"And stop it with the shitty nicknames!"

Karma chuckled boisterously, hopping down from his perch to grab his own belongings.

"Then would you rather I called you _Mon Cherie?"_ he purred in a (may I say) excellent French accent, eyeing in amusement as the tips of Katsuna's ears glowed crimson red.

 _"Die in a fire,"_ she muttered under her breath, bypassing the boy whilst swiftly hiding her flaming cheeks.

Ever since the festival, Karma's persistent pestering had sky rocketed to the point where, to get through an entire school day without burning up in flames, was now a distant daydream.

What made it worse was that bitterly, she knew her flustered and aggravated reactions only spurred the demon on more. Her red-hot embarrassment had now become a source of daily entertainment; her dwindling sense of pride turning into a TV show.

"Hey Katsuna, want to walk to the train station together?" Nagisa called out upon her passing, catching the attention of the raven head.

_An escape!_

"I'll come too!" Karma chortled from behind her, earning an approve nod from his blue haired companion.

_Fuck!_

Glancing over to Nagisa's merry demeanour from the idea of trekking home with his friends, Katsuna sighed, physically lowering her shoulders in utter defeat. She stayed silent as the trio departed through the open door, not wanting to cause of his disappointment.

_So long freedom._

~~~~~

"My legs feel as if they're about to crumble beneath themselves," Katsuna groaned, lugging herself dramatically along the pathway.

"Karasuma really has been pushing us hard these last few days," Nagisa chortled lightly, his head high in the late summer air.

"Well if he doesn't ease up, I don't think Quasimodo over there will ever stop complaining," Karma sneered, earning a scowl from the raven head who immediately straightened herself up.

"Who are you calling Quasimodo, Tomato boy?" she spat, stuffing her hands into her pockets childishly.

"I can still whoop your ass in this state so don't you try and get funny with me."

"That's interesting because I don't ever recall you _'whooping my ass_ ' even once," Karma retorted, side eyeing his companion as she bit the inside of her cheek immaturely.

"I miss this," Nagisa interrupted swiftly, gaining the attention of his friends, their expressions riddled with confusion.

The blue haired boy sighed, smiling to himself before elaborating on the comment.

"I mean like, being together with just us three.. I miss there being no silence because whenever you guys are together, it's noisy.. but like a good noisy.." he explained obscurely, scratching the back of his head aggressively.

"Agh, I don't know if I'm making sense here?"

The dumbfounded look on his classmates faces answered the question clearly, allowing a chuckle to escape his lips.

"Never mind," Nagisa smiled sincerely, giving up on earlier statement before shifting the subject focus onto today's piece of jarring news.

"Is it just me or does Takaoka's suicide seem strange?"

There was a pause in the air as the gears in Katsuna's mind began to turn. Her hesitance to say anything left her questioning the topic more before it was cut short by a blunt response.

"As far as I'm concerned, the bastard deserved to screw himself over," Karma seethed, shooting a glare towards his moving feet.

"Still, he just.. didn't seem like.. you know.." Nagisa muttered feebly, the conviction in his tone dropping by the second.

He peered up at Katsuna, who seemed to be having her own internal conflict, which in the end pushed him to set his doubts aside.

"At least he can't do anymore harm," he concluded, mentally blocking out the nauseating crunch of broken bones.

It was a malicious beating many of the students didn't have the heart to stomach.

~~~~~

After entering the station, the trio waited patiently for Nagisa's train to arrive, chattering amongst themselves about. Subconsciously, Katsuna noticed the red head had distanced himself a little from her, no doubt because the last time they had been in this situation, the end result was a red-hot slap to the face.

She found herself laughing secretly at the memory, recalling the satisfactory tingling sensation in the palm of her hand and the surprised widened look of the mercury eyed boy. Katsuna stole a glance at him, taking in his laid-back composure with his cunning resilient orbs ready counter any comment thrown his way. Yet, there was an air about him that felt safe and comforting.

~~~~~

**_"It's okay to let it out, no-one's looking."_ **

~~~~~

Katsuna found her cheeks rush with colour as she remember his low husky voice brushing against her tender ear. She'd allowed herself to be swallowed whole by that feeling beside the waves, though now thinking about it, not once had the redhead used her moment of expressive vulnerability as a source for further embarrassment.

_I wonder why.._

The raven head gazed softly back at Karma, observing the way the crimson locks of his fringe bounced on his forehead with the slightest of movements and the way his dimples carelessly appeared whenever he chuckled like a child receiving candy.

_Cute._

All of a sudden Katsuna became electrically aware of her surroundings as a gut feeling that something or someone was watching her, clenched hold of her entire being. Her heart beat began to pound deafeningly as she searched the area around her for the eyes she was sure was making the hair on the back of her neck stand on end.

Juxtaposing her every instinct, warning her body of the impending danger that lurked somewhere in the crowd, everything surrounding her seemed normal. Business people tucked in smart ties clutched hold of briefcases; groups of teens wearing school uniform chattering mindlessly about gossip; elderly couples perched on side benches watching the trains come and go.

_Nothing is out of the ordinary and yet.._

**"You have got to be kidding me!"**

Nagisa's short exclamation shot Katsuna right back to her senses as she trained her focus on the blue haired boy staring at a collection of magazines in the nearby shop window, the former sensation now having completed disappeared.

"What's up?" she inquired curiously, following his line of sight to a long brown-haired model sporting a baby pink bikini on one of the front covers.

Above the photograph was the heading written in a bright bold yellow font.

**_"Weekly Punch"_ **

**_"A Quiet Neighbourhood Shaken! A Yellow Menace Targets F-Cups and Above"_ **

**_"Exclusive! Late-Night Terror in Kunugigaoka!"_ **

**_"Underwear Thief on The Loose!"_ **

_Don't tell me.._

Only one perverted being, capable of carrying out such an ordeal popped to mind.

~~~~~

They're totally talking about you, aren't they?" Fuwa accused, her tone riddled with disgust.

Koro-sensei was nose deep in the troubling section of the magazine, reading through the article with a sweat covered face. The students had confronted their once respected teacher first thing the next day, having all read the column piece printed in the local news.

"How could you even think to do that stuff?" Mimura cringed, narrowing his eyes

"This is absurd!" Koro-sensei yelled defensively, slamming the magazine on the desk in front of him in a desperate manner.

"I'm completely innocent!!"

"Well, state to us your alibi if you deem yourself not guilty," Hayami instructed coldly, leaning back against the blackboard with her arms crossed.

"And can anyone vouch for you?"

Glancing around the room, it was blatantly clear his students were unconvinced, the doubts directed sharply in their gazes. Knowing this, Koro-sensei paused for a moment, thinking back hard to the night where the events in question were taken place.

"If I remember correctly," he began, placing a tentacle on his chin as he thought.

"I was alternating between an altitude of ten thousand meters to three thousand, thoroughly shaking a bag of seasoned chips so that the flavour would coat each one just right."

"No one can back that up!" Okajima remarked loudly, gesturing with his hands.

"This is completely pointless.." Okano muttered under her breath, lowering her gaze to the floor.

"He's just a creep."

"Come on, Koro-sensei couldn't have done those things," Isogai perked up, automatically presenting a feeling of assurance in favour of the octopus.

"He's done some creepy stuff but if you add it all up, what have you really got?"

"He's read pornographic magazines, bribed with photographs of models in revealing swimsuits, sent postcards to various modelling companions with requests to let him give them a tentacle bra..."

"Koro-sensei, do us a favour and just turn yourself in," Isogai shuddered, physically turning his back on the teacher.

"You too Isogai!" the octopus cried, losing his vote on the most respected student in the classroom.

"If that's the case, I'll prove my innocence by showing you all just how much of a law-abiding citizen I really am, to the teachers' lounge!"

"Oh, this is going to be good," Karma snickered quietly, observing the octopus's flustered state as he rushed out the classroom with the student's following closely behind.

~~~~~

The class crowded round their teacher's marking desk, their accusing eyes watching deceptively as Koro-sensei began tossing out all the inappropriate magazines tucked away in his draws without so much of a thought.

"What is this going to accomplish exactly?" Kaede exhaled doubtfully, lowering her shoulders slightly.

"I'm not really sure," Nagisa responded truthfully, just as Koro-sensei unexpectedly pulled out a piece of purple lacy lingerie.

"But that might be a start."

 _"Seriously?"_ Takaoka grunted, glossing over his teacher's flabbergasted expression revoltingly.

"I-I.." Koro-sensei stammered, completely astonished at his own findings before the attention was diverted to a short cut brown haired student as she scuttled towards the front in a hurry.

"You won't believe what I just found!" Okano announced, clutching hold of a black role book before slamming it open harshly onto the teacher's desk.

"He wrote letters next to each girl in the class, stating each of our cup sizes!"

The class peered down sceptically at the register, confirming that Okano's statement was true.

**_Toka Yada: E_ **

**_Yuzuki Fuwa: B_ **

**_Sumire Hara: D_ **

**_Rinka Hayami: C_ **

**_Kirara Hazama: A_ **

**_Rio Nakamura: D_ **

"There's no way you're a B cup with that tiny chest," Karma whispered teasingly.

"Keep talking to me like that and I won't hesitate to crush your ball sack Akabane," Katsuna snapped, swatting the redhead away.

"WHAT THE HELL DO YOU MEAN BY FOREVER FLAT!" Kaede screamed, launching herself at her teacher only to be pulled back by Teresaka's strong grip.

Maehara reached down to collect a file that his beady eyes had caught sight of, holding it up for the entire class to see.

"A breakdown of all the girl's in Kunugigaoka with an F-Cup and Above?!" he condemned disapprovingly.

"W-wait, I didn't..!" Koro-sensei started, before his voice was lost amongst the repulsed expressions of his students.

_"This is nauseating.."_

_"Gross.."_

_"I can't believe this.."_

Breaking the ominous silence was the bell as it rang to signal for break time.

 _"R-Right.. back to the classroom then children...,"_ Koro-sensei uttered unenthusiastically.

_"I-I'll be here... if you need me."_

~~~~~

"We really put him through the wringer this time," Karma chortled to himself, mindlessly leaning back in his chair.

"Some people just really can't take being in the hot spot."

"Still, the question still lies if he really did those things or not?" Nagisa sighed, standing loosely beside the redhead.

"What does it matter?" Karma retorted nonchalantly, eyeing the front desk where his teacher's absence lingered.

"So, what if the perv's stealing underwear, he's threatening to blow up half the planet and that's what you're caught up on?"

"Dipshit over here does have a point," Katsuna informed flippantly, gesturing a nod towards the redhead's irritated expression.

"Still, out of everything, I don't think Koro-sensei's responsible for this."

"How so?" Nagisa wondered out loud, training his curious eye on his raven-haired classmate.

" Well, at first I was almost convinced it was the octopus," Katsuna admitted, resting her hand on her cheek as she talked.

"But as time went on, I thought about how plain in sight the 'evidence' of his misdeeds were placed."

"I'm no expert but when you steal something, you make sure you don't leave even a crumb behind that might lead back to you," she continued, gaining the understatement of the students surrounding her.

"And for a super being like Koro-sensei, to do something as dodgy as stealing underwear and leave evidence for his students to find so easily, bearing in mind he upholds his image as a teacher above anything else, is just unthinkable and downright doesn't make sense."

"Like Miss Dimwit over here said," Karma added, earning a quiet incoherent grumble from the girl perched in the desk beside him.

"Koro-sensei knows he'd be dead to us if we found out about something like this."

"Everyone knows that between the choice of losing our respect for him and assassinating him, which one he'd go more out of his way to avoid."

**"An impostor!"**

The statement gained the attention of the class instantaneously, as they all faced to look at Fuwa's calculating gaze.

" _'A Yellow Menace'_ they say in the papers," she spoke darkly, intertwining her fingers together.

"We're dealing with a professional, people."

"Just what we need!" Kaede chirped proudly.

"E Class's Sherlock Holmes, Detective Yuzuki Fuwa is on the case!"

"That's right!" Fuwa winked before mentally putting on her thinking cap.

"This person is familiar with Koro-sensei and his skills, therefore the fact that they are on intimate terms means it's someone close to us!"

"I think the best course of action is to go to the most promising location that the impostor will target next," she concluded, spinning around on her foot to point a sharp finger to her trusty companion.

"Do your thing Detective Ritsu!" she exclaimed cheerfully, observing as on command, Ritsu began to calculate the place with the highest percentage regarding the situation at hand.

"So, we're really doing this thing tonight?" Terasaka grumbled, appearing unimpressed in his slouched position.

"Well we have to catch the guy before they run Koro-sensei out of town and along with him, our bounty," Karma asserted confidently, slinging an arm around the brute's shoulders.

"Otherwise what will all this have been for, now is everyone in?"

The class of assassins looked around at each other, mirroring the same eager wide-eyed expression. There was no way they were going to pass up an opportunity like this to test out their newfound skills in a stake out session without the restraints of a supervisor.

"I think I speak for everyone when I say," Isogai declared, standing up from his seat in a state of authority.

**"Class 3-E's Catch the Perving Phoney Plan is a go!"**


	59. Deploying Tentacles

_The class of assassins looked around at each other, mirroring the same eager wide eyed expression. There was no way they were going to pass up an opportunity like this to test out their newfound skills in a stake out session without the restraints of a supervisor._

_"I think I speak for everyone when I say," Isogai declared, standing up from his seat in a state of authority._

**_"Class 3-E's Catch the Perving Phoney Plan is a go!"_ **

~~~~~

"Something still doesn't add up," Katsuna mentioned lowly, crouching behind a car for cover.

"I can't figure out what's in it for the culprit?"

Her teammates paused momentarily at the statement, allowing the cool night air to heighten their contemplating minds. Previously, the class had decided to split into groups of 5s and 4s so they could subsequently decrease the risk of being found out and also manoeuvre around in the dark at a quicker stealthier pace.

"Your guess is as good as mine," Karma shrugged half-heartedly, peering over the side to analyse for any excess movement.

"The coast is clear for the time being."

"What makes you so sure that the impostor will show up here of all places Fuwa?" Kaede questioned, gazing at the maroon haired girl with sceptical eyes.

The students were camped in the parking lot right behind a modern holiday home with the only source of light being the crescent moon illuminating silver. From their view, the children could see the colourful variety of women's undergarments hanging up on the washing line in the garden, teasing any perverted onlookers.

"A widespread popular Japanese jubbilious tats majores girl group has been staying here to train for their upcoming concerts," she explained enthusiastically, her eyes shining with rhythmic excitement.

"And with tonight being their last," Ritsu added from the student's phone screen,

"The probability our suspect will let these prize winnings slip through their fingers is 0.002%,"

"Uh-huh," Kaede nodded slowly, peering back over the edge of the car only to gasp slightly at what she saw.

"Guys look there, in the bushes!" she hushed energetically, pointing an unsteady finger in the direction of a set of hedges located just beside the bait.

"It's Koro-sensei!"

"Please say he's only here to scout out the true culprit too," Nagisa exhaled, gazing wearily at his teacher's suggestive expression.

The octopus had dressed himself in a full black getup complimented with a pair of matching black shades. His hot breath emitted a sweltering steam as he directed his eye on the teasing lingerie.

"I don't know..." Kaede stated doubtfully, registering the look on his face.

"It may just be coincidence, but he is looking really good for this."

"I wouldn't be so sure," Katsuna countered, gesturing towards a sudden lanky figure darting in and out the darkness.

"A tall guy with a yellow head, or should I say helmet!" Nagisa exclaimed lowly, analysing the unknown personal's appearance.

"I knew it!" Fuwa gushed.

"So, it was a fake," Karma grinned, keeping his eye on the culprit in a meticulous manner.

The phoney scampered hastily up to the underwear, grabbing them by the handful with abnormal speed.

"Wait, he's getting away!" Kaede remarked worriedly, barely being able to process the figure's nimble movements.

"NOT SO FAST!"

The announcement startled the figure, allowing Koro-sensei all the time he needed to pounce on him, crashing to the ground below in a heap. A moment later after wrestling for power, he managed to scramble himself on top of the criminal, pushing them down with all his might.

"I've got you now!" Koro-sensei declared proudly.

"How dare you impersonate me and then carry out my own lewd fantasies!"

"I'll strip you of all your garments and see how you like it!"

"Well at least the guy's getting a taste of his own medicine," Nagisa chuckled nervously, watching as the octopus successfully countered each one of the culprits attempts to escape.

"Pretty sure Koro-sensei's about to face some serious charges himself if he continues like this," Fuwa challenged, scratching her cheek in amusement.

"At least the reports got his appearance spot on," Karma smiled cheerfully, acting oblivious to the inappropriate actions of his teacher.

 _"Right~ woo-hoo to that,"_ Katsuna drawled sarcastically, rubbing her temples to try and soothe the sudden aching.

"I'm not the only one that missed him admitting to this being his _'own lewd fantasy'_ right?" Kaede verified, the look of disgust eminent on her features.

The group observed from afar as their teacher began to try and undress the impostor, though it seemed to be a little bit more of a struggle than he had originally thought.

"Show to me your face you fiend!" Koro-sensei demanded impatiently, finally grasping hold of the helmet before aggressively pulling it off.

The disguise flew to the ground, landing with a loud thump on the dim lit grass, revealing the culprit's true identity.

"Isn't that one of Mr K's colleagues?" Kaede muttered in bafflement, staring at the man with rectangular framed glasses who was looking anywhere but the octopus in front of him.

"But why would he-"

Without warning, 4 panels covered in plain sheets suddenly sprang up from under the ground in a blink of an eye, cutting off Koro-sensei's exits as they boxed around his shaken form. The students flinched at the unexpected terms of events, abruptly understanding that they had been only a small cog, fitted into a much larger plan.

"I must send my regards to the government for financially handling this attempt."

As the thick smoke dispersed into the atmosphere, a figure in all white was gradually discovered to be creeping closer to the enclosure, his voice and appearance immediately sending the student's into high alert.

_Why hadn't I noticed the bigger picture?_

Katsuna gritted her teeth in anguish, barely noticing the four eyed accomplices crawl out from under the sheets of the clothed trap, never taking her attention away from the man who had made himself an enemy of E Class.

**_Shiro._ **

"Who knew it only required a scrawny underling to act as a decoy to lure you into this den draped with anti-sensei sheets," Shiro sneered, his tone thick with loathing.

_I'm a little disappointed, Koro-sensei."_

"Seems the coward who won't even show his face has returned," Karma taunted, sauntering into the spotlight with the other students following shortly behind.

"Well if it isn't the precious students," Shiro snickered, cocking his head at the assassins.

"Come to enjoy the show, have you?"

"I should have known someone like you would be up to this," Katsuna seethed, scowling at the masked man who seemed to only enjoy the attention given.

"Though resorting to stealing underwear seems a bit desperate if you ask me."

"Careful little girl," he snarled, tilting his head down to the side in a chilling manner.

"You wouldn't want me to mess up that pretty face of yours, _little songbird."_

Katsuna tensed up instantly, envisioning her mother's heart-warming smile with a deep-seated pain. However, the feeling didn't cause her recoil in fear like in past times.

After all, she'd spent enough time mentally training herself over the summer.

Instead, only disgust brimmed to the top, directed at the masked man who spoke such words with his vulgar tongue.

"How?" Katsuna shot with a clear demanding tone, her question translated perfectly into Shiro's ears.

Expecting more of a show, he paused for a moment, unsatisfied with the sharp delivery of the response.

"My apologies," Shiro snapped, turning his focus towards the clothed cage curtly.

"I do find your situation ironic, however it seems revealing anymore would ruin the amusement for the future."

 _"Amusement?"_ Katsuna muttered under her breath, a hungry curiosity to find out more seeping through.

The raven head was just about to press further but was then interrupted by a black shadow blocking out the crystal silver moonlight from above.

"Look!" Fuwa shouted, pointing up into the sky overlooking her teacher's confinements.

"The bastard brought the octopus's brother!"

Katsuna squinted at the diving figure with its raging tentacles squirming greedily, ready to attack any opponent who comes into view.

Unfortunately for them, it seemed Koro-sensei was to be the first victim.

"My dear spectators," Shiro announced, opening his arms wide as the excitement began to unravel.

**"Let the final death match begin!"**

"IT'S ITONA!" the students chorused, all eyes on the boy with bloodthirsty intent.

He descended rapidly through the top of the cage, launching his tentacles forward as they plunged towards Koro-sensei before his whole body disappeared behind the curtains.

"Was it just me or did that the guy have some sort of metallic chain strapped onto the ends of each of his tentacles?" Karma queried to the others, keeping his attention on the battle noises happening from behind the cover.

"I'm sure you'll understand that I had to add some extra precautions this time," Shiro coaxed, also paying keen attention on the sounds of Koro-sensei's tentacles melting against the fabric.

"Each one is made of heavy steel coated with anti-sensei particles and sharpened into dagger-like weapons for extra effectiveness."

"Every defensive manoeuvre carried out by your teacher results in an overall increase in damage in his limbs, though even that won't be enough to kill the target."

The children peered up at the top of the cage, gasping at the sight before them.

Itona had managed to successfully coil his enhanced tentacles around Koro-sensei's waist, squeezing tightly like a cobra trapping its prey. He held him high in the air, showing off his victim to the horrified spectators below with sheer arrogance.

"At last," he yelled, hurling Koro-sensei to the ground below with great force, resulting in his opponent slamming his body against the rough surface.

**"I'VE WON!"**

With a final blow, Itona fired his tentacles towards the clumped body of his target as Koro-sensei only stared up at the oncoming danger in front of him.

Just as the tentacles were about to hit their mark, the teacher darted to cover, dodging all several of the sharp knife-like attacks with the speed of light and accuracy of a professional. Unable to see what was happening, the students on the side-lines could only read the expression on Itona's face, silently watching as their teacher finally began to make his moves.

"Bravo Itona!" Koro-sensei called proudly from inside his confinements, as if he wasn't being continuously attacked by a raging maniac with oceans of blood lust.

"If we were still in the first term, I believe this might have actually cooked my goose."

"I don't understand!" Itona growled from above, pure rage and confusion shining in his amber eyes.

**"Why won't you just die!"**

"Alas my child, your attack pattern is rather, _oh how do I put it.... ah yes,_ **transparent** ," Koro-sensei informed critically, forever the teacher he is.

"No matter how fast you are, or how strong you are, or how much I'm prone to panic, or how many schemes your guardians think up," he continued, all whilst expertly dodging the boy's attacks.

"I will always adapt to the change and defeat you the pair of you, simply because your mentor lacks creativity my students are exploding with and you lack the ability to expand your fighting style."

"No way!" Itona blustered, grinding his teeth together in bitter anguish.

"Yes way," the teacher replied shortly, grabbing the out of control tentacles with the sleeves of his black robes and holding them against his chest tightly, providing them no escape.

"I study too, how could I not if I'm teaching a class of bright minds to evolve into well furbished adults."

Leaving the boy in an internal struggle, Koro-sensei took advantage of the time by releasing the limp tentacles and centring his own together on his chest.

"Using my Absolute Defence form over the summer break taught me a very important skill in which I will demonstrate to get rid of this rather annoying cage," he revealed, intertwining each of his tentacles together so they shaped a tangled ball.

"How to release a burst of energy by compressing not my body, but only the tips of my tentacles."

From outside the cover, the children could only view a growing white light that soon became blinding to their eyes in a matter of seconds as the feeling of an invisible force thickened up the atmosphere around them as if the move was sucking everything towards its core.

"Shield yourself students, this is going to be a tad rough."

In a blink of an eye, an outward explosion of piercing white light shot from all sides, sending the blinded spectators backwards with its sheer strength and force.

The sounds of the students screaming in fright as their bodies were flung backwards were deafened in the blast, swallowed and digested into nothing.

After a few moments, Katsuna gradually began to open her eyes again, her vision at first blurry and unclear. A deep groan sounded from beneath her, jolting her attention towards the body crumpled under her form.

"A tad rough my ass," Karma grumbled groggily, rubbing his temples with a dirtied hand.

"If that masked prick hasn't killed him yet, I might just have to step in and finish the job."

"K-Karma.." Katsuna perked up in a startled manner, still not fully recovered from the initial shock.

"You.. blocked the impact for me?"

"Sure, did Princess!" the redhead grinned widely.

Lazily, his eyes trailed down, gradually focusing on the position they were in. The redhead sucked in a sharp breath as Katsuna unintentionally brushed past his lower stomach with the palm of her hand.

In any other situation, a girl straddling a boy's waist out in the open would have been deemed extremely inappropriate and with this in mind, Karma found himself growing in size, much against his wishes.

"D'ya mind if you get off me now?" he smirked, successfully hiding his rising desire to take things further.

Realising the situation, a little too late, Katsuna blushed furiously above the boy, not missing a second to jump to her feet and distance herself several meters away.

"I-I didn't.. I-I would never.." Katsuna stammered, feebly hiding her embarrassment.

"Yeah, yeah.." Karma replied, half listening to her inability to form sentences as he silently thanked the gods above that this hadn't happened in daylight.

After all, this was far from the right moment.

"You guys okay?" Nagisa called out of concern, trekking towards the pair.

"Well, I wouldn't have minded if the sea urchin had made my landing a little more comfortable," Karma responded with a slight shrug, earning a small grin from his blue haired friend.

"Though, I think Sweet Cake over here is a little worn out and I'm not talking from the blast," he teased, wiggling his eyebrows at the raven head who only scowled in distaste.

"I see.." Nagisa muttered in bafflement, choosing not the question the redhead's words.

The trio were interrupted by the inhuman cries of pain coming from the place they were moment ago, the skin crawling sounds only ever increasing. It only took one look from each other to make the decision to run towards the noises, desperate to find out what was happening to cause them.

Back at the modern holiday home, the students grouped back up with the others, all attention of the same thing.

Itona.

The once confident attacker was now crawling on the ground, clutching his head in excruciating pain as if he was trying to pull out the roots of his tentacles.

"IT HURTS!" the boy screamed in agony, bashing his forehead against the dirtied path, as if it was his only way of distracting himself from the rest of the pain.

"IT FEELS LIKE MY HEAD IS GONNA BURST!"

"Itona! What wrong?!" Koro-sensei cried worriedly, bent over his former opponent's coiled up body with every bit of him wanting to ease his torment.

"Seems losing to you a third time has really done a number on his ego," Shiro spoke clearly, gathering the scattered attention of the others.

"That wouldn't cause this much torture," Koro-sensei argued, his beady eyes narrowing at the masked man in white.

"What have you done to him?!"

"The tentacles inside of him are gnawing at his brain you see," he replied calmly, expressing no interest in the wellbeing of his student.

"If this is the best you are capable of Itona, I will have to cut you off from the organisations support and you'll be left to fend for yourself."

"N-No.. P-Please.." Itona moaned in utter torment, barely keeping himself conscious.

"You'd abandon him like trash, just like that!?" Nagisa fumed, eyeing the helpless boy suffering on the ground below and the disinterested expression on Shiro's face.

"It's called good business," he responded sharply, turning his back physically and mentally on the silver head's crumpled form.

"This is goodbye Itona."

"NO WAIT!" Koro-sensei yelled, but his attempt was futile as the so-called guardian was already out of sight.

Without a moment to waste, Itona began to spin widely out of control, launching his tentacles towards anything that moved which in this case was the onlooking students. Just in time, Koro-sensei jumped into action, defending the children with his own tentacles.

It was clear that Itona's ability to demonstrate such attacks was because his blood thirst was fuelling his strength, meaning that now, all his morals had now long gone.

The group watched as he began to pick himself up from the ground in a crooked manner, the saliva trickling from the lips down his chin. Koro-sensei stood on guard, ready for any oncoming attack that may be shot towards his students. Instead, with one final look in his hungry amber irises, Itona jumped into the air, disappearing from sight and into the darkness of the night.

"What the hell was that?!" Fuwa yelled, completely dumbfounded by the situation at hand.

_"Ngh.."_

The low sounded whimper alerted the students' attentions as they faced their teacher, just as he collapsed onto the ground below, completely and utterly exhausted from the previous battle.

"Koro-sensei!"

 _"Not to worry children,"_ the teacher mumbled, barely keeping his eyes open.

_"I guess that fight took a little more out of me than I expected.. ngh.."_


	60. Saving Ones Faith

_The group watched as he began to pick himself up from the ground in a crooked manner, the saliva trickling from the lips down his chin. Koro-sensei stood on guard, ready for any oncoming attack that may be shot towards his students. Instead, with one final look in his hungry amber irises, Itona jumped into the air, disappearing from sight and into the darkness of the night._

_"What the hell was that?!" Fuwa yelled, completely dumbfounded by the situation at hand._

_"Ngh.."_

_The low sounded whimper alerted the students' attentions as they faced their teacher, just as he collapsed onto the ground below, completely and utterly exhausted from the previous battle._

_"Koro-sensei!"_

_"Not to worry children," the teacher mumbled, barely keeping his eyes open._

_"I guess that fight took a little more out of me than I expected.. ngh.."_

~~~~~

【 **_"The first incident was here."_**

**_"Officials don't yet have any suspects in this bizarre string of cell phone shop attacks."_ **

**_"They aren't ruling out terrorism."_ **

**_"Business in the area have been told to be on high alert."_** 】

"No way that isn't him," Katsuna commented determinedly, holding the phone just far enough for the rest of the group to crowd around the news lady reading the recent reports.

It hadn't even been an hour since the fight between Koro-sensei and Itona before reports of cell phone shops being smashed to smithereens began pouring in from all round the city. The boy seemed to be on a rampage with only one kind of target in mind, with the students being thankful only that there hadn't been any casualties regarding these attacks and hoped that it would stay that way.

"No kidding," Karma responded snidely, causing the raven head to roll her eyes.

"What I want to know is why cell phone shops?"

"Well, we can't keep letting him run loose," Kaede exclaimed with an unreadable expression.

"You're quite right," Koro-sensei spoke up, gaining the attention of his students with ease.

"Your awake Sir!" Nagisa grinned, his previous worried expression gone as he looked to his teacher with admiration and hope.

"That I am," the octopus replied, picking himself up from the ground.

"Not to worry, the burden of finding Itona and protecting him lies on me as his teacher."

Shiro's personality resonated somewhat with Katsuna as she mentally drew lines of similarities between the masked man and the principal. Everyone is a pawn to use and throw in their own games, no matter the feelings of that individual. They believe they hold the power but when things don't go their way, the use of manipulation or diverting the blame of themselves amongst other things seems to be an easy first choice.

Disgusting vile creatures.

Despite this, you have to tread lightly. With a person ready to throw anything at you, you have to come prepared as there's no knowing what someone like that will do next.

That's what makes it so dangerous.

When Katsuna finally came back to reality, she found that her eyes had involuntarily wandered towards the redhead, his expression mimicking her own as they linked eye contact.

It was clear that they had the same opinion circulating around their minds.

"I vote we leave Itona alone," Katsuna objected, flicking her line of sight from the mercury orbs to the black beads.

"I disagree," Koro-sensei countered, shaking his head slowly.

"I'm his teacher, I cannot leave a student alone when he's clearly in need."

"There's no telling what Shiro may be planning," Karma pointed out, side eyeing the octopus's displeased look.

"We can't trust his word that he's completely finished with the guy."

"No," Koro-sensei interjected, his decision set in stone.

"When I took this job, I made a solemn vow to never turn my back on a student."

The two students sighed, knowing there was no changing his mind.

 _"Fine,"_ Karma muttered to himself in contempt, shoving his hands in his jacket pockets.

_"Don't say I didn't warn you."_

~~~~~

Using the detective skills from both Fuwa and Ritsu, not to mention Koro-sensei's general intellectual and knowledge of the area, the group found Itona in less than 20 minutes. The boy was crumpled against a metal pole in an abandoned warehouse, just on the outskirts of the city. His expression read tired and defeated as he sat slumped on the ground.

"Let me help you."

Itona barley even glanced at the octopus in front of him, only registering his appearance and the others as a nuisance as he laid waiting for death.

_Maybe then, this numbing pain will finally seize._

"Try not to lose control around us okay?" Fuwa hesitated, not wanting to be the target of a malicious attack.

Itona only scoffed at the girl's faltering tone, gazing down at himself with a grin that was anything but amusing.

_I really am a freak of nature._

"Why don't you come with us?" Nagisa suggested calmly, stepping forward bravely towards the boy.

"We're willingly to let everything you've done go if you join our class-"

"Piss off!" he spat, cutting the blue haired student off abruptly as he peeled himself from the floor, his patience thin like ice.

"I'm not joining your brigade of happy little kids; I'll kill you long before that!"

"Now, now," Koro-sensei intervened, holding a tentacle up to ease the rising violent atmosphere.

"If a fight is what you want, I will happily go against you for a fourth time and when the smoke clears, we'll head back to the classroom and study ways to kill me so you can improve."

"If you hadn't noticed, he's a very persistent character," Karma clarified nonchalantly, gesturing towards his teacher.

"I doubt he'll leave you alone even if he's 6 foot under; there's no way he won't leave his mark."

"You bet I won't," Koro-sensei joked, chuckling to himself from the redhead's words.

"Put a student in need in front of me and the instinct to help and teach them is unbearable, I just can't help it."

Listening in on his words, Katsuna found herself wondering if she should tell him about everything. The desire was painfully desperate, as if an invisible force was drawing her closer towards her teacher.

Maybe it was time to reveal her past..

Maybe Koro-sensei could help her..

_Maybe.._

_Just maybe.._

_I could finally break free from his shackles._

**_Yet, there's no way I could._ **

_No matter how great and powerful Koro-sensei may be..._

_Unless he is willing to give up his morals of being a teacher and take the life of another human being..._

_**There's no way I can ask for his help.** _

Katsuna gazed at the back of her teacher's head, before back down at her own hands, in the back of her mind watching how the lines and creases folded as she moved them.

_No doubt Koro-sensei has realised this single fact._

_**He knows I am the only one who can take him on.** _

She squeezed both hands into fists, flexing her knuckles as she thought.

_He's waiting until I'm ready to talk about what happened._

_Even now I can feel his eyes on me, knowing his words are meant for me also._

Peering back up at the boy in front of her, Katsuna took a long look at his eyes clouded with anger and pain.

_You're one of the lucky ones, Koro-sensei can help you._

_**Let him help you.** _

Suddenly, pops of explosions sounded from around the students, surrounding them in a cloud of thick grey smoke that scratched their throats.

"Ugh.. w-what is this s-stuff?" Nagisa's voice coughed, his location lost amongst the vapour.

With her instincts kicking in just milliseconds before the room became a huge ball of vapour, Katsuna had managed to take a deep enough breath to keep herself from engulfing any of the foreign exhausts, keeping a firm grip of her mouth and nose to stop any carbon dioxide from leaving her system.

The summer had taught the class to be vigilante when it comes to unknown gases; who knows how harmful it could be once it reaches their lungs and begins circulating around the body.

Cautiously, she scanned her surroundings, unable to gain any clear view of her fellow classmates. Whilst doing so, something caught her eye, glinting just a few metres from her.

_It can't be.._

With haste, Katsuna darted towards the object that became clearer with each step. A lanky dark figure could be made out just behind the cloud of smoke, causing her to falter in her movements. She took full notice of the long finger stroking the knife with black string wrapped around its handle, a perfect replica of the memory that had long tormented her nightmares.

_Is he.?_

The figure began to sink behind the cover of the thick grey screen, motioning Katsuna to now stride towards it's fading form, leaving her scared from losing sight of it. She paced further and further into the smoke, barely keeping herself from tripping over her own feet as her eyes stayed set on one thing only.

_Closer._

_Closer.._

_Closer!_

Just as she thought she'd caught up with the figure, Katsuna bumped straight into Koro-sensei, sending her straight back to her senses. He peered down at his dazed student, noting her wide-eyed expression. It was abundantly clear that the gas was having a strong effect on him as his yellow skin had begun to melt against the particles.

_Wait._

Katsuna searched her surroundings once more, whipping her head in all directions in an attempt to find any trace of the previous figure.

_Maybe.. I imagined it?_

_Yeah._

_There's no way that could have been him._

Katsuna slowly gazed up into Koro-sensei's eyes, returning her focus onto the more pressing issue at hand; the gas.

_At least I found someone.._

_Koro-sensei's the safest person to be with right now._

_Even if.._

Using her expressions without removing her hand from her face, she silently conveyed her question in which the teacher responded promptly too.

"Anti-sensei bb powder," Koro-sensei nodded slowly in agreement, knowing the odds were not in his favour at this current time.

"Stay close, we both know there's only one person who would do something like this."

As if on cue, the smoke finally began to disperse, revealing the infamous white masked man making his way towards the pair.

"Once again, when a student's life is on the line," Shiro sniggered, sauntering closer to his target. 

_"You don't hesitate to plunge right in, Koro-sensei."_

Barely giving the octopus enough time to adjust to the change of events, an ambush of anti-sensei bbs began to fire from all sides, causing him to dart in multiple directions to dodge the attacks. The disappearance of the smoke made it easier to spot where the firing was coming from with Katsuna analysing her surroundings tactfully.

Judging by their white clothing, the 4 people shooting from the left and right were subordinates of Shiro, wasting no time in empty their rounds and reloading new ones. There also seemed to be a few snipers dotted around from the rooftops of surrounding buildings, training their aim all on a single target.

_Or maybe.._

"Come on Itona," Shiro called from the side lines, signalling one of his subordinates to shoot a net cannon on his student, capturing the boy in the sticky material.

"Let's go home."

_Crap, they were only keeping him distracted!_

"Don't you dare!" Koro-sensei cried out, attempting to make a move towards the truck that the subordinates that chucked Itona's weakened body into.

However, the attempt was made futile by the continuous shooting of anti-sensei bbs, keeping him begrudgingly preoccupied.

"Rescue him," Shiro dared, hopping onto the back of the truck.

"You are his teacher after all."

Koro-sensei could only watch in horror as the vehicle drove further into distance, leaving smoke bombs in their wake to hide their presence.

Shiro had taken Itona once again.

And once again, he was unable to stop him.

**No.**

**Not this time.**

The rest of the students piled next to him, coughing out the gas that was irritating their throats. Katsuna was inhaling deep mouthfuls of air just behind them, restoring her body to normal.

"How is everyone?" Koro-sensei questioned with concern, giving each of his students a good look over.

"We're alright, go after him!" Katsuna encouraged firmly, knowing that with every passing second was another percentage down from overall success of recapture.

Despite their wheezing states, the other students nodded adamantly, their expressions sharing the same determination for saving Itona from his captors.

"Right," Koro-sensei nodded securely, turning to launch himself in the direction of the truck.

"I'll go after your classmate, stay together and stay safe!"

With that, the students were left in the remnants from blast of dust, unable to catch even a brief a look of their teacher's rocket like form as he sped towards Itona's fast moving location.

"Did anyone else note that down?" Karma speculated, his focus on the empty spot his teacher had just left.

"Protecting us slowed down his response time."

"I picked up on that as well," Nagisa nodded in agreement, already bullet pointing it in his flip book.

"Because of that, this situation can now go either way."

"Oh no.." Fuwa whispered softly, a sickening feeling of doubt seeping into her chest.

"Damn that Shiro.." Kaede cursed, gritting her teeth.

"Well there's no use in just sitting around and doing nothing," Karma concurred, whipping out his phone to contact the rest of the class.

"I don't know about you, but even I don't think Koro-sensei can go up against them all by himself."

"You're right," Fuwa agreed, already tracking the movements of the vehicle with Ritsu as her guide.

"The truck has stopped in the park just North of where we are currently."

"Estimation of time it'll take to arrive there is 12 minutes if you run at a speed of 6 miles per hour," Ritsu informed accurately, displaying a map of their destination on each of the student's phones.

"We'll meet the others there," Karma remarked, tucking his device back into his jacket pocket.

"Let's go."

The group set off in the direction of the determined location, finding the cool night air refreshing against their features. It was almost atmospheric, like the tingling sensation you get when sticking your head out the car door window, whilst driving down an endless stretch of road.

Katsuna's head was buzzing with thoughts as she allowed the wind to stroke her cherry red cheeks. She refused to let losing this fight be an option; the situation proving more to her than making Itona a part of Class 3-E.

_Show me that you can save him._

_Show me that you live up to your words, no matter the cost._

_Maybe then, Koro-sensei, I can show you who I am._

~~~~~

The sound of firing guns immediately drew the attention of the students, directing them straight towards the location of Shiro's subordinates. The group took cover behind the bushes just to the right of the scene, silently analysing the situation before making any rash movements that could put themselves and Koro-sensei in more danger.

After all, they were trained assassins.

Katsuna wordlessly caught the attention of the students, gesturing towards the rest of the class hiding behind various structures dotted around the area. Their sights all seemed to be focused on the same thing, Koro-sensei.

Glaring violet pressure rays shone against their teacher's lemon skin, noticeably decelerating his speeds as he evaded the constant avalanche of anti-sensei bbs. Itona, still trapped in the net, was laying on the ground just behind Koro-sensei, fighting to keep himself conscious to see the end of the seemingly one-sided battle.

"How peculiar," Shiro drawled, tapping his chin rhythmically with his glove-covered finger.

"You grow exceedingly weaker when the target is anyone but yourself and yet you are due to blow up the Earth this coming spring."

The masked man was stood comfortably on a platform, just a few meters away from the octopus, spectating the scene with a snarky smirk.

_"Are you sure you don't want to leave?"_

**"I AM HIS TEACHER!"** Koro-sensei bellowed loudly, the words 'giving up' far from his extensive vocabulary.

His sheer determination struck Katsuna's heart like a knife as she became unable to take her eyes away from the captivating sight. To her, the teacher seemed to be pulsating a similar mellow amber warmth that she'd only ever experienced as a child. Tearing herself away from that particular sentiment to focus on the plan ahead became an excruciatingly difficult task within itself.

With great effort, the raven-head managed to pluck her attention away just as Karma signalled for the procedure to commence, mirroring the hand gestures used by Karasuma himself.

_Here we go..._

The group scattered across the surrounding area in an instant, working fast as they knew time wasn't on their side. With the aid of Ritsu, the class had pinpointed each of the sniper's hiding locations, mapping out their targets in a matter of minutes. Once arriving at the base of her appointed tree, Katsuna climbed the trunk like a meticulous predator advancing on its prey.

Catching sight of the gunman in seconds, she wasted no time in karate chopping the vital point found just at the bottom of the neck, ridding the subordinate unconscious instantaneously. His body slumped and finally slipped from the support of the branch, landing precisely in the middle of the blanket, held by Sugino, Mimura, Takebayashi and Isogai.

"Cheers boys!" Katsuna called out from above, saluting her fellow classmates as they wrapped the sleeping body tightly up with no chance of escape.

Using her height as an advantage, Katsuna surveyed the rest of the area, gathering that the plan had gone down successfully with the rest of Shiro's men trapped in the rolls of sturdy fabric. Terasaka had made great work in destroying the pressure rays, leaving the octopus with plenty of strength to turn the tables on Shiro in a matter of seconds.

"Step down and leave Itona with us," Koro-sensei demanded in a low authoritative tone, towering over the man in white like a skyscraper.

"I respect your methodical persistence, however, using a student when he's in a state of suffering as means to kill me is completely unacceptable."

The rest of the students gathered behind their teacher, protecting their silver haired classmate from anything that their opponent may throw at them with stern facial expressions.

"The irony is still beyond me," Shiro muttered deeply, the realisation that he was backed into a corner begrudgingly dawning on him.

"A class of students training to become assassins under a biologically man-made monster with the intent to destroy half the planet by March, and yet you are determined to continue throwing a wrench into my plans to save you and your families from perishing."

"And for what, the satisfaction of being the ones who finally murdered the creature?"

"You'd rather risk your loved ones dying for that simple sensation?"

Shiro scowled scornfully, turning his cold gaze to the raven-head located in the crowd of teenage assassins.

"You really do have this class wrapped round your little finger," he spat, the disgust evident in his tone.

"After the murder of that pitiful women, it's only natural you'd be waiting for the opportunity to let this world to crash and burn; well I must say congratulations because you may just fulfil that wish."

"You're wrong," Katsuna responded in a brittle tone, stepping closer into the moon's sliver spotlight.

"This class has given me a reason to stop running, to fight back, **to live** ; I would give up my life to save theirs if the chance revealed itself."

"I will continue to fight alongside them until we do finally assassinate Koro-sensei and **we will** as a team, not by using each other as pawns like you but as equals."

"Then I'll take pleasure in watching that pride being torn to shreds once the time comes," Shiro snided in distaste, diverting his attention back to the octopus in front of him.

"So be it, take the boy if he interests you that much."

"But be warned, with those tentacles eating away at his brain like that, he'll only live for another 2 days or so."

"Now I must be on my way, his successor awaits my much-needed attention."

With that troubling statement revealed, Shiro disappeared from sight in a cloud of smoke, leaving behind no trace of his whereabouts or the answers to the ambiguous questions that had arisen that evening. 


	61. Breaking Toxic Morals

_"So be it, take the boy if he interests you that much."_

_"But be warned, with those tentacles eating away at his brain like that, he'll only live for another 2 days or so."_

_"Now I must be on my way, his successor awaits my much-needed attention."_

_With that troubling statement revealed, Shiro disappeared from sight in a cloud of smoke, leaving behind no trace of his whereabouts or the answers to the ambiguous questions that had arisen that evening._

~~~~~

After Itona had been released from the restraints of the net, with the help of Maehara and Isogai, the class gathered together to discuss their options in what to do next. The silver haired boy laid motionless on the ground, his tentacles rapidly turning black as they rotted away with his brain.

It wasn't looking good for him; someone had to do something and fast. 

"So we can't just cut them off?" Kataoka suggested awkwardly, already knowing the answer. 

"Unfortunately, they've rooted themselves too deep to just simply remove them," Koro-sensei explained grimly, having already assessed the boy's poor current state. 

"If he doesn't let go of his pathological need to win, I'm afraid there's not much we can do in terms of abstracting the tentacles." 

"Something must have happened in his past to bring him to this," Fuwa grimaced, her passion for deep-seated backstories seeping through.

"Though, there's no way he's just gonna spill the beans right here, right now." 

"Then how are we supposed to help the guy?" Maehara challenged sternly, gazing down at the boy in front of him who was struggling to keep his eyes open. 

"Earlier, I got Ritsu to do a little digging into the cell phone rampages," Fuwa responded earnestly, lifting up the glowing screen on her phone so her classmates could see. 

"The targets for his destruction had to be linked to something otherwise why would he bother?" 

"What did you guys find?" Isogai queried curiously, squinting his eyes at the bright screen. 

"One company's president had a son named Itona Horibe," Ritsu answered seriously, bringing up the relevant information. 

"They used to have a booming worldwide business selling electronic parts."

"Wait, they _used to?"_ Sugino questioned, pressing for answers. 

"What happened?" 

"They declared bankruptcy just a few years ago with the president and his wife skipping town and leaving their son behind with close relatives." 

"No wonder he turned out like this," Maehara muttered under his breath, glancing back to Itona's body. 

"No doubt his parents abandoning him must have been a punch to the stomach; something like that would be hard for anyone." 

Upon hearing the revelation, Katsuna's focus began to gradually stray towards a certain redhead standing opposite to her. Undeniably, she knew Itona's situation resonated deeply with Karma, noting his drawn back composure and cut off look.

~~~~~

**_"They work overseas so they're rarely ever here, so it's just me most of the time."_ **

~~~~~

For some unknown reason, Katsuna felt the overwhelming need to comfort him as she silently observed his fallen expression. 

Maybe it was because she was the only one who knew how he truly felt about his parents lack of presence. Maybe because no one else seemed to notice his muted sting of pain. 

_An obligation?_

_That has to be it._

_Why else...?_

Hesitantly, Katsuna began to make her way towards the redhead, circling around her peers as a means to not attract their attention. The raven-head was only a few feet away when she stopped still in her tracks, eyeing the scene in front of her with a stunned expression. 

With shining eyes, Okuda had managed to turn the redhead's mood around, puffing out her cheeks as she faked a cute annoyed look. Her hidden smile didn't go unnoticed as Karma whispered something in her ear; soon after outwardly chuckling together from their secret joke. 

The subtle interaction made Katsuna's stomach tighten into a ball. Adverting her gaze back to the crowd of students, she blankly attempted to comprehend the foreign feeling, resulting in a pike of disgruntled confusion. 

"Screw this," a voice grunted loudly, causing the interruption in her contemplation process. 

Katsuna flickered her inquiring stare to the left, regarding Terasaka's rough demonstration of caring as he grabbed the back of Itona's collar and dragged him closer towards his gang. 

"So what if he's got a crappy past," the meathead continued brutishly, gesturing to the rest of his peers. 

"As if anyone hasn't got a bag of shit to lug around." 

"Terasaka..." Koro-sensei began steadily, unsure of the boy's method to settling the situation at hand. 

"Don't worry Tentacles," Terasaka interjected, a certain amount of seriousness glinting in his eyes. 

"We've got it handled from here; all the guy needs is a different perspective and we know just the things to cheer him up!" 

~~~~~

"I'm not the only one failing to see how taking the guy to a ramen joint is going to make anything better, right?" Maehara stated doubtfully, perching himself on the fence just outside the restaurant.

"Isn't this Muramatsu's old man's place?" Takebayashi analysed, pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose. 

"I would have thought they'd closed it down by now with all the bad reviews posted online." 

"As if things couldn't get worse," Maehara groaned, tilting his head backwards with his hand. 

"Why not add food poisoning to the mix." 

"Now, now," Koro-sensei reassured, having previously changed back into his normal teacher's garments. 

"Something is telling me that we should trust Terasaka and the others, I'm sure they know what they're doing." 

"I wouldn't be so sure," the orange haired boy responded, leerily eyeing his troubled classmate as he charged out the shop, violently heaving up the meal in the nearby bushes. 

Moments later, Terasaka barged out the joint with Muramatsu following closely behind, defensively lecturing him on how his dad's ramen wasn't _that_ bad. Yoshida stepped out next, gesturing to cut the whole situation off to Koro-sensei as it obviously was not going as planned, with Hazama quietly sniggering behind her book beside him. 

Maehara wasted no time in sending a look to his teacher, expressing his sceptical judgement and distrust in the gang as plain as day. 

_Oh boy._

~~~~~

"Seems the idiots are on the move again," Karma informed snarkily, snickering slightly as he watched the group wrapped Itona's arms around each of their shoulders, preparing to drag him to their next location. 

"Someone should be recording, you can't make this shit up." 

"Uh-Huh," Katsuna hummed unenthusiastically in agreement, only half listening to the redhead's comment.

Occupying a space on a nearby staircase, she'd been unable to drag her attention away from her swarming thoughts. Unsuccessfully, she wracked her brain for answers to the inexpiable feeling earlier. Her tendency to overthink certain things was clearly in action as she barely paid notice to the scenario taking place. 

"What's up with you?" Karma pressed, leaning back on the metal railing as the faint murmurs and mumbles from the raven head's lips took hold of his curiosity. 

His response... nothing. 

The redhead grimaced in frustration, not taking a liking to his ignored presence. In a swift movement, he swooped his head inches away from Katsuna's, expertly leaving his bemused classmate flustered in a matter of milliseconds. His hands landed just beside her hips, leaving no escape of his narrowed mercury gaze. 

_"Are you going to make me ask again?"_

"W-What do you think your doing?!" Katsuna spluttered fiercely, instinctively pushing the redhead backwards with all her might. 

Karma managed to catch hold of his balance, grabbing hold of the railing beside him for extra stability before pulling himself up into a crouched position just in front of the raven head. 

"Looks like I finally caught your attention," Karma smirked confidently, resting his chin on the palm of his hand. 

"Now tell me what's got you muttering like a textbook junkie."

Almost mechanically, Katsuna diverted her eyes to the side, now intently studying a strand of grass peaking up from in-between the stair gaps. Taking notice of its sliver glow provided by the matured moon, she took the piece delicately and began to wrap it's length around her index finger. 

"I guess I'm just a little worried," she replied in a hushed tone, the statement not a complete lie. 

She was worried. Scared even. Frightened and confused of the unknown emotion that kept contradicting her underlined feelings and opinions. Deciphering what the thoughts meant to her were hard enough, let alone battling against them. 

So many things to concentrate on. 

What Shiro meant... how much he knows. 

The silent agreement shared between teacher and student. 

That knife. 

It's all jumbled together. Compact inside a brain worked overtime constantly. 

And now a foreign feeling, reminding her of a certain strawberry blonde boy's power for possession. 

**But why?**

"Worried out what?" Karma pushed, scanning the girl's distant expression.

"It doesn't matter," Katsuna sighed lightly, too tired to explain all the thoughts whizzing around. 

_Curse my inability to sleep._

"If it's worrying you, then it does matter," the redhead countered, his persistent nature flowing fluently in his tone.

"Look, I'm spent," she breathed out, pulling slightly on the blade of grass trapped tightly on her finger. 

"Can we do this another time?" 

"Just tell me now," he interjected impatiently with searching eyes, not ready to let the remark slip away. 

"Karma..."

"Princess-"

"CHRIST KARMA, HOW MANY TIMES DO I HAVE TO SAY IT?!" Katsuna exploded suddenly, her outburst not going unnoticed by a few close-by students.

"DON'T CALL ME THAT FUCKING NICKNAME!"

The redhead stayed quiet, his earlier smirk lost as a straight line shaped his lips. He regarded the girl's worn out composure; the hands running through her darkened locks; the red hot face... coming to the sharp conclusion that he had pushed too far with his questions. 

"Look..."

"Just leave me alone," Katsuna interrupted harshly, standing from the stone step before making a beeline for the stretch of pavement. 

Karma stood up to follow but was stopped by a yellow tentacle resting lightly on his shoulder. 

"There's nothing wrong with giving the young girl some space," Koro-sensei coached supportively, regarding the way the redhead's composure sank slightly with his words. 

"She's got a lot on her mind no doubt; let her come to you when she's ready." 

It only took a moment before the boy shrugged the tentacle off, jamming his hands into his jacket pockets as he made his way with the other students. Despite his lack of words and drawn back attitude, Koro-sensei knew that he'd taken the advice to mind. 

Karma may be one of the strongest students in his class in terms of strength and intelligence, but when you introduce the matters of the heart, the boy still had a lot of training ahead of him. 

~~~~~

"I'm pretty sure this is illegal," Sosuke remarked gingerly, addressing the motorbike zooming round the race track. 

"What happened to student safe guarding?" 

_"Relax~,"_ Terasaka drawled, forcing a smile to surface on his features as he swung his arm around the class mum's shoulders. 

"Yoshida's parent's own the track, plus the guy's known motorbikes his entire life." 

"I'm still not so sure..." Sosuke replied wearily, side-eyeing his two classmates perched on the back of the rampaging machine.

"We're here to help Itona, not kill him quicker."

"You gotta have more faith in my buddy over there; he know's what he's- YO WHAT THE HELL YOU DID YOU DO, YOU DIMWIT!?"

The meathead set of running towards the pair, eyeballing Itona's distressing state. Half his body had been thrown into a hedge located just to the right of the track where a sharp corner had been laid out. 

"I was just showing him my break turn..." Yoshida mumbled under his breath, scratching the back of his head as he watched Terasaka grab hold of the fallen boy. 

The rest of the students were lounging behind the fence, onlooking the race track scene with mixed expressions. 

"This is going straight on my story," Rio chimed, focusing her camera on the boys' attempting to dislodge Itona's body from the restraints of mother nature. 

"Jeez, I thought they were supposed to be cheering him up, not provoking him more," Mimura commented prudently. 

"Come on, what did you expect?" Karma reasoned, turning his chuckles to the raven head perched a few metres away from him. 

"They're a bunch of idiots."

Katsuna turned her head sharply away from the redhead, completely disregarding his attempt to lighten the mood between them. An abject expression coated his features as he slumped his chin on his hand defeatedly. 

"Hey, Hazama still has a chance to get through it him," Okuda smiled enthusiastically beside him, catching the redhead's slight attention. 

"Don't give up hope yet!"

A tsking sound encouraged the boy peer back up at Katsuna, who had now begun to stride further away. 

"Oh yeah, right," he mumbled halfheartedly in response, flicking his gaze back towards the racetrack lazily. 

~~~~~

"I recommend this dark tale of revenge if you want to get back at Shiro," Hazama spoke in a sinister tone, accumulating a spine-chilling aura that swarmed invisibly around her form as she handed Itona the novel.

"Read this and feed your diabolic desires... though you can stop towards the end because the protagonist gives up and it's an overall disappointment." 

"THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING?!" Terasaka yelled, grabbing the book from Itona's clutches and throwing it behind him. 

"THAT'S WAY TOO DARK!"

"Oh come now," Hazama argued, standing to face the seething mutt. 

"Evil must be properly cared for too, how else are you supposed to control it once it gets out of control?" 

"Speaking of..." Yoshida interrupted, gesturing cautiously to Itona's twitching body. 

"Oh shit!" Muramatsu cried, stepping back from the sight just before Itona rose to his feet, his darkened tentacles squirming once more. 

"HE'S ABOUT TO FLIP!"

"RUN YOU BLOCKHEADS!" Hazama shrieked, already two steps ahead of the others. 

The four students set off running towards the gates, looking anywhere that deemed a safe distance from their classmate's blood lust. 

"I AM NOT ONE OF YOU!" Itona denounced glaringly, readying his fighting stance.

"I AM STRONGER, MORE POWERFUL, YOU DAMN INSECTS CAN'T EVEN COMPARE YOURSELVES TO ME!"

_Insects..._

"SPENDING TIME WITH ME, EATING WITH ME, WHAT A JOKE!"

_Joke..._

"YOU'RE JUST TRYING TO LOWER MY GUARD SO YOU CAN TAKE THE VICTORY FOR YOURSELVES!"

_Fuck this..._

"What are you doing man?!" Yoshida called out, panting hard as he addressed Terasaka's movements. 

"Do you want to be killed?!" Hazama shouted as her classmate advanced closer to the maniac. 

"You gotta chill the hell out man," Terasaka advised encouragingly, now standing just a few feet away from Itona's menacing aura. 

"You need this way too bad." 

"What did you just say?!" Itona scowled, clenching his teeth in anger as he launched an attack toward's the target in range. 

To his surprise, Terasaka caught hold of the tentacle, gripping it tightly to his stomach so there was no room for escape. 

"W-what.. LET GO!"

"Not a chance," Terasaka grimaced, the strength of the impact proving it's effect.

"Man this brings me back, though that's not to say that it doesn't make me want to puke."

"Then you should of ran like the others instead of trying to act like a hero!" Itona retorted, narrowing his gaze at the boy in front of him. 

"What does that make you then?" the meathead huffed, making the silver haired boy pause for a moment, conflicted by the question. 

"You say you want to kill the octopus, _well no fucking shit,_ we all do!" 

"The difference between us and you isn't strength like you claim, working as a team makes up for that in barrels..."

"No, the difference is that, no matter how many times we've failed to kill our target, we don't throw a tantrum like you and start whingeing about it to our mentors."

"We say 'Okay, what did work well and what didn't?' and devise an even better, more calculated attack!" 

"You want the octopus dead now, yet you're not seeing how that in itself is already a failed plan because there's no chance that's happening, you have to work hard, try different things and one day, you'll get there!"

"You see, no matter how many times we fail, as long as we kill the ass before March rolls around, it's a victory for us!" 

Itona's eyes widened at the speech, unable to stray them away from Terasaka's firm honest gaze. Everything he had said was true, there was no doubt about that. 

"I can't do this.. it's too much.." Itona muttered under his breath, the misery clear in his orbs. 

"What am I supposed to do whilst I wait to kill the octopus?" 

"Are you an idiot or something?" Terasaka exerted, hitting the boy in the face with a punch just strong enough to startle him. 

"Look around, we have that part sorted already!" 

Itona peered back up at the statement, for the first time really surveying the area and catching notice of all the students, stood with welcoming smiles. His monochromatic world began to feel the warmth he'd thought he'd lost the day his father's company went bankrupt. 

_How could he have been so stupid?_

The answer was right in front of him, plain as day; yet he was too blinded by his impatience and strive for power to see it. 

"I-I see..." Itona whispered to himself, crumpling to the floor in utter exhaustion from tonight's events. 

Koro-sensei took this moment to approach, knowing the silver haired boy's blood lust had now eventually faded. 

"Those painful tentacles can finally be extracted now," he announced, holding up the shining metal clippers clutched in his grip. 

"Not worry worry however, the strength you'll lose will be made up with friends by the handful."

Itona nodded hesitantly, at last ready to let go of his toxic morals that had lead him down this dim gloomy road. 

"And whilst we're at it," he mumbled, managing a smile to surface on his lips for the first time in years. 

"Let's get rid of this whole brother thing, I'm getting really sick of it." 

_"My thoughts exactly."_


	62. A Friend's Push

"Thank god for the weekend," Nagisa yawned, stretching one hand up into the air as he traipsed up the mountain path.

"I think everyone wanted some much needed rest after staying out all night on Friday." 

"I wish I could say the same" Katsuna sighed, pulling the slipping strap of her bag back over her shoulder. 

"I ran myself harder than usual at my workplace because I felt guilty about being on paid leave since the Okinawa incident... wait!" 

The raven head slammed her hands over her lips, immediately directing her apprehensive look towards Nagisa as she cursed herself for her loose lips. Despite this, the blue haired boy only chuckled lightly at his friend's wide eyed expression. 

"Don't worry, I won't say anything to the teachers," he reassured, his mouth stretched into a friendly grin.

"I'm pretty sure they are suspicious of it anyway, but I'm sure they'd never tattle to the principal as they realise we all have our individual reasons." 

Katsuna let out a relieved breath, nodding in appreciation for her friend's kind-nature. She didn't need any more reasons to see Principal Asano, firmly keeping her distance from the man in question, though it was only a matter of time...

"If we're getting back to the previous subject, I do wonder if Itona will fit in," Nagisa interrupted, his caring personality for the newbies shining through. 

Katsuna smiled at this; her respect for the Class 3-E's note taker continuing to bloom. Thinking back to when she first stepped into the classroom all those months ago, Nagisa had been the first to properly introduce himself, immediately welcoming her into the warming atmosphere. If only she'd taken more notice of this earlier, maybe things would have gone better... but then where would she be now? 

No, she didn't regret her choices... if it meant being here, right now, she wouldn't change a single thing. 

"I wouldn't worry, I'm sure he'll fit in just-"

Katsuna stopped mid sentence, the racket of shouting students sounding through the hallway. The pair exchanged a perplexed look before curiously following the noise all the way to their classroom. 

Nagisa reached for the handle hesitantly, sliding the door open just enough for the two students to subtly peak their heads round the corner. 

"How you dare add us to your disgusting perverted fantasies!" Yada scolded, directing her scornful stare to the group of boy's gathered round Itona's desk. 

"Whether you come clean or not, it's clear you're all involved in this disgusting scheme!" Kataoka snorted, the distaste evident in her tone. 

"Don't drag me into this," Maehara huffed, crossing his arms over his chest defensively. 

"What happened to bros before hoes man?!" Okajima cried, shaking the playboy's shoulders violently. 

"You even tainted Itona with your unlawful thoughts," Hinano chastened, gesturing to the silver haired boy who was sat straight in his chair, lazily surveying the scene. 

"It's only his first day!"

_Seems like the kid's a natural at fitting in._

"Katsuna, thank god you're here," Hinano wailed, noticing her head poking out from the doorway. 

She clasped hold of the raven head's hand in her own before dragging her into the centre of the mess. 

"Teach them a lesson about how to treat us ladies!"

"H-Huh, why me?" Katsuna replied, pointing a finger towards herself in a baffled manner.

 _"Because~"_ the green eyed girl drawled, pushing Katsuna towards the front. 

"But, I don't even know what happened?!" she responded begrudgingly, turning to look at the group of girls behind her.

Despite her confused and obviously distressed expression, they all shared the same look of admiration on their features, proud that their strongest ally had come to aid them in their time of need.

_You gotta be kidding me..._

~~~~~

Turns out, the boys' had devised a plan to kill Koro-sensei using a remote control tank using their target's new found weakness as an advantage, provided by the newest edition to Class 3-E, Itona. According to him, their teacher had a single weak spot, located just under the crescent moon necktie he wore everyday. There laid Koro-sensei's heart that, with just one single hit, could end his life instantly. 

With this in mind, the boys' were planning to use the built-in gun on the machine to shoot a anti-sensei bullet straight into his weak spot, which overall, wasn't a bad plan. That was before they found out about it's alternative perverted use, which was to take advantage of the fish eye lens located on the device to peer up the skirt's of their unsuspecting female classmates. 

The girls had made their point adamant throughout the course of the day, ignoring any boy that tried to communicate to them. With lunch now making an appearance, they had made their male classmates vacate the classroom in protest to their behaviour, in which the boys' agreed to on the terms that afterwards, everyone would forgive and forget. 

"Is that all boys think about at this age?" Hinano sniffed, sinking her head down on the desk. 

"They should be more like Mr K."

"I agree; disgusting... every single one of them," Kataoka huffed, nodding her head in agreement.

"Boys make me want to puke," Rio gagged, mimicking a person throwing up. 

"Well, there were a couple that didn't partake in it," Okuda hummed distantly, gazing out the window in deep thought. 

"Karma for one..."

"I've noticed you guys had gotten closer since the Okinawa trip," Yada chimed, sending a meaningful look across to Class 3-E's scientist. 

"Anything you'd like to share with us, Okuda?"

The suggestive tone in which the ponytail wearing girl spoke in immediately made the usually introverted student blow up in flames as she buried her face in her hands.

"I-It's not like that.." Okuda squealed tightly, the tips of her ears burning red.

"Sure it isn't," Rio sighed at the display, adverting her eyes to the raven head perched a little a ways from the huddled group. 

Using lunch as a little peace and quiet time, Katsuna had absorbed herself into a book she'd found going free at the public library. Though, her attention had been diverted to the bean wearing plaits who, to her surprise, hadn't passed out from all the blood rushing to her head. 

Knowing there was no use in continuing the story in this condition, the raven head closed her book with a deep exhale.

"I don't understand what you see in him," she spoke, causing Okuda to poke her head up from her position.

"He's an egotistical jerk who makes jokes out of other's flaws; someone like that is just a plain annoyance." 

_"Ahh..._ I guess you would see it that way," Okuda countered nervously, keeping her tone muffled. 

"But behind his facade, you'll see what Karma is truly like."

"There's nothing else to see!" Katsuna objected.

"Sounds to me like someone's a little jealous," Rio coughed forcibly, smirking at Katsuna's rising blush. 

"I am **not** jealous!" the raven head shrieked, narrowing her eyes at the giggling blonde. 

"In fact, I couldn't **hate** the prick more if I wanted to; I'm just surprised to see someone can actually express an interest in him!" 

"And yet here you are, getting pretty rowdy over this so-called 'prick'," Rio offered, smiling gently at the spectacle. 

"That's not-!"

"We all know there's something going on between you two, but I'd start addressing those feelings more seriously before-"

Rio was cut short of her statement by the sudden high-pitched noise of a screeching chair. She diverted her gaze back to the raven head, taking in her flushed rose red expression as she stood, heavily breathing, over her desk. The blonde watched as Katsuna sped to the door without wasting a second, slamming it shut behind her.

She blew out a breath, protesting against every urge to go after her troubled friend. Somewhere inside of her was the instinct that whatever was happening was a good sign. After providing a catalyst, the only thing left to do was wait for Katsuna to figure everything out herself. 

"I'm sorry Okuda," Rio apologised, panning her peer to the class scientist who seemed to be deep in thought. 

"But I had to make this a fair fight."

Okuda smiled mellowly at her blonde haired classmate, shaking her head to the side to wordlessly say 'don't worry'. 

_**Now, I can only hope he'll see my feelings before someone else realises theirs.** _

~~~~~

"Code names?" the class chorused, the excitement tinged voices evident. 

"That's right!" Koro-sensei beamed brightly, handing out slips of paper to each student. 

"I realised that to become a proper assassin, a code name is an irreversible trait to have as it not only hides your real identity from your opponent; it makes you sound polished and professional." 

"It's like what those assassin's at Okinawa had," Hinano chirped, reminiscing on the memory. 

"Smog, Grip and Gastro."

"Indeed, they were professional employed killers and each with a fitting alias," Koro-sensei approved, placing a green lottery box on his desk. 

"I want you all to write code names you believe will fit your fellow classmates and which ever ones I pick out of this box is what we'll call you for the rest of the day." 

The classroom was filled with the buzzing minds of students as they thought hard and creatively about their given task. Once the last student had placed their suggestions into the lottery box, Koro-sensei gave it a final firm shake, the class barely keeping their anticipation in check. 

"First up, we have Baseball Geek," Koro-sensei announced, immediately directing a look to Sugino, who only chuckled in response. 

"I was expecting something like that," he shrugged halfheartedly, embracing his newfound name. 

"Then, we've got... President Poverty."

"Seriously guys?" Isogai laughed slightly, knowing that despite everything, the name did fit well. 

"Oh dear..." Koro-sensei mumbled in a concerned tone after reading the next slip of paper. 

"Womanising Scumbag." 

"It could've been worse," Maehara sighed nervously, scratching the back of his head in an awkward manner. 

The next few minutes carried on like this, with the students finding out about their new code names, the mixed opinions circulating the atmosphere. 

"Who even came up with Gender?" Nagisa groaned, undoubtedly regretting ever being apart of his teacher's class. 

"If you think that's bad, try being called Forever Flat!" Kaede huffed dramatically, the fire in her eyes burning with fury. 

"If I ever find out who wrote that down, I'll kill them!"

"Now, now class," Koro-sensei lectured, settling the class down before continuing. 

"As your real names aren't permitted for the rest of the day, today's training exercise with Mr Karasuma will be carried out using your new code names!"

"That's correct," Karasuma announced, standing tall beside the octopus, despite being given a class joke code name. 

"It's all vs one people; get ready!" 

~~~~~

Alert to her surroundings, Katsuna breathed coolly in the autumn air, holding the pistol tightly to her chest in a guarded position. Her team hasn't been called in yet but that was no excuse to slack off, after all they were up against Karasuma, a Rank A military official with battleground knowledge. 

"Code name Da Denest is on the move, I repeat, code name Da Denest is on the move," Baseball Geek crackled down the walkie talkie.

"Affirmative, "President Poverty's team is closing in on the target; once he's cornered Hot-and-Cold Sniper will take the killing shot." Director Mushroom responded diligently.

Katsuna listened carefully to the information, concluding that it was a good starting plan but Mr K wasn't going to make it easy for them. 

"We need to change positions Akabane's-"

"Don't you even dare, English Lass."

Rio could barely contain her giggles as she watched Katsuna's face twitch with a dark shade of embarrassment. It had been pure luck that Koro-sensei had picked her slip of paper though she was quite sure that her friend would never forgive her. 

The conversation earlier definitely didn't help the current turn of events. After storming out the classroom, Katsuna had disappeared into the nearby woodland, following her favourite path to intentionally clear her head. However, it only seemed to make her thoughts swarm. 

"Let's get a move on," Katsuna exasperated, her ability to concentration diminishing quickly.

_I'm not falling for the redhead... No way in hell!_

"The target escaped through Womanising Scumbag's defence!" Baseball Geek exclaimed suddenly, gaining the two student's attention. 

"You're up Mistress Kanzaki's team, don't let him out of your sights!" 

"Understood," Fluffy Stag Beetle replied promptly.

"What was that idiot doing?" Fuwa facepalmed dramatically as she made cover behind a large mountain rock.

"Simping for Isogai perhaps.." Rio suggested, nonchalantly digging the hole deeper for herself a she turned her attention back to Katsuna's growing irritation.

_"Oh wait, no... that's not his code name, is it?"_

"The hell does Akabane's Simp even mean anyway?!" the raven head snapped sharply, making the other girls finally lose their battles against the hysterics of the situation. 

"T-The fact that you're still c-clueless pfffttt!" Fuwa spluttered unattractively, wiping the dribble from her chin. 

"Oh god- your face- I can't-" Rio roared with laughter, no doubt giving their position away to any close by personals. 

"Explain it to me dammit!" Katsuna demanded childishly, turning to both of her teammates who were now grasping onto anything that could stop them from falling to the ground in a fit of cackles.

"What's going on out there Akabane's Simp's team?" Dignified Didact questioned, her tone anything but serious as the situation was only made worse.

_Why doesn't the ground just swallow me whole now?_

"The target pulled a fast one!" Fluffy Stag Beetle interrupted abruptly over the walkie talkie. 

"It's up to Pseudo-Takaoka's gang to take control now."

"On it!" he confirmed in a brutish voice.

"Code-names Home Plat, Loofah and Picture Book Graduate, advance now!" 

After a few moments of tense silence, Terasaka's voice crackled down the mic once again. 

"TARGET HIT, I REPEAT, TARGET HIT!"

_Good work Pseudo-Takaoka._

"Don't get too comfortable!" Dignified Didact warned in reply. 

"Poison Specs, Forever Flat, you're up next!" 

"He already spotted us," Forever Flat exhaled, clearly not on her A game this afternoon. 

"Dignified Didact, take over!"

"Right!" she answered.

"Terminal Perv, help me create an opening for Dating Sim Protagonist!" 

The sound of the sniper firing carried through the energy filled atmosphere, causing everyone to hold their breaths in anticipation. 

"Crap, he blocked the shot!" Dating Sim Protagonist cursed. 

"Gender, Semi-Senioritis, he's all yours!"

"What kind of code name is that?" Katsuna muttered in distaste, majorly ticked off that the redhead had managed to escape with a semi-respectable code name. 

_Menstrual Cycle_ _suited him better._

"What are you doing?!" Gender's voice rang out suddenly.

"Dammit, we'll block off the escape route, Akabane's Simp's Team, go for it!" 

_Shit, I was certain they would have it handled..._

_Doesn't matter now._

"Let's take this bastard down," Katsuna called out to her teammates, jumping out from the shadows. 

"English Lass strive to the right, This Manga Is Amazing! go left; I'll go centre."

_What if... what if what I'm experiencing is something telling me to..._

The trio formed a perfect triangle shape, carrying out the coordinated attack flawlessly. 

_I couldn't... but then again I would get the others off my back about it..._

"Don't think you've got me!" Da Denest denounced, charging towards the attack without a second thought.

"It's not us that you should be worried about," Katsuna smirked, signalling for the final blow to commence. 

"JUSTICE, IT'S YOUR TURN!"

_I could do it..._

Using Karasuma's confused state to their advantage, Justice appeared from behind like a pouncing bear, aiming his gun right in the middle of his target's back. 

_Just..._

As the three shots rang out, the student's knew that, with victorious grins, it was game over.

_**A friend.** _

~~~~~

With the bell signalling the end of the school day, the students erupted into packets of chatter all around the classroom.

"You have to be honest, today's lesson was pretty fun," Nagisa chuckled lightly behind his hand, knowing the two girls in front of him would have a different opinion. 

"Never again, right Kaede?" Katsuna grumbled lowly, shaking her head to the side. 

"Agreed," the green haired girl answered, mirroring her friend's action.

"At least yours made sense," Itona mumbled from his desk, cursing the code name 'Picture Book Graduate' to hell.

"I think yours made perfect sense," Sugino chortled from beside the boy.

"Shut your face Baseball Geek."

"Ouch!" the black head whinged, feigning hurt as he clutched his heart. 

"Seems like you're fitting in just fine, huh," Katsuna smiled simply, glancing down at her new classmate. 

_"Whatever..."_ he murmured deeply in reply, standing from his seat before heading towards Terasaka and the rest of his gang. 

The 5 of them were the only ones left in the classroom, with their others having already headed home for the day. For Katsuna, the mood that came with a nearly empty classroom was slightly unnerving, as that enclosed protective feeling by her peers became noticeably diminished. 

"Let's hope the guy keeps all his brain cells with the amount of time he's hanging out with those dumb-asses," Karma snickered as snarky as ever, taking the raven head from her thoughts.

"With the way he is now, you wouldn't think he was homicidal maniac only 3 days ago." 

"What's up with that bandanna anyways?" Kaede inquired, casually leaning against the classroom wall. 

"I'm not sure," Nagisa hummed in reply. 

"But it sure does suit him; he feels like a proper Class 3-E student." 

"So the class of delinquents has gained a new member," Sugino exhaled, peering up to where Itona had disappeared from sight. 

"Things are bound to become more interesting with him around; no doubt we're one step closer to assassinating Koro-sensei!"

This exciting prospect had the group restlessly anticipating the events of their final term. Training hard for the past 7 months had really begun to open doors, showering their futures with a shining white light that was gradually becoming more than just hope. 

They should have known by now; the approaching danger lurking on the mountain path.

The curse of being in End Class. 

Their fun times wouldn't last forever. 


	63. The Memorable Agreement

"We should get going," Sugino suggested, nudging the others to gather their bags.

The time had simply slipped from their minds; the clouds that had been wispy and white that morning now a darker gloomier shade, alluding to a stormy night.

"You guys go ahead," Katsuna offered hesitantly, side-eyeing the redhead who was still slumped in his seat.

Just as he was about to question his friend's statement, Nagisa caught on to what Katsuna was attempting to express.

"Catch up with us if you can," Nagisa hummed, ushering the others out of the classroom who had begun to wonder why themselves.

Now alone, an awkward silence fell on the two students as neither one knew how to start.

"So..." Karma broke, prompting the raven head to address the situation at hand.

Amongst the swirling thoughts in her head, the troubled student blurted out the first thing that she could manage to say without tumbling over her words.

"I'm sorry!"

The sudden apology surprised the boy, rendering him speechless. It was the last thing he had expected she'd say at that given moment.

Katsuna exhaled soon after, attempting to broadcast her point with a clearer mind.

"What I mean is," she started again, turning to meet Karma's patient demeanour.

"The other night... I'm sorry for shouting; it was completely uncalled for and I understand now that you were just trying to do the right thing."

Steadily, the raven head breathed out, feeling the weight that had sunk onto her shoulders gradually begin to slip away.

"I.. I just get really frustrated at you; despite whether you're trying to make me or not."

"You confuse me so much; it's hard to keep track of what's happening... it's like I'm on a roller-coaster, unable to control anything around me as it continues to speed up and down."

As the words begin to spill out, Katsuna progressively began to understand herself a little more, as if the answers were just waiting there on the tip of her tongue.

"I need to start taking control of myself again, otherwise I might just end up going insane."

Katsuna picked her gaze up nervously from the floor, settling it on the pair of unreadable widened mercury orbs that were fixated on nothing but her.

Apprehensively, she started again, unsure on why the redhead was making her feel so agitated.

"What I'm trying to say is... well I think it would be best if we..." Katsuna mumbled, attempting to muster up some courage to finish her sentence.

"Are you asking me to be your friend?" Karma challenged, finally clocking on with a rising smirk.

"Jeez don't say it like that!" Katsuna huffed embarrassedly, whipping her head to the side to subtly hide the rose-pink blush.

"I just think it might solve the childish bickering and help us understand each other a little more."

"So, you want to know me better?" Karma coaxed, unable to hide his stretched-out grin which had shaped the entirety of his facial features.

"That's not what I'm trying to say," she protested defensively, the twitch in her eyebrows evident.

"Just shake my hand so we can get it over with."

"Are you sure?" the redhead cooed, cocking his head up at the girl with a slightly suggestive look.

"Because it sounds like you want to get awfully close to me."

"Ugh, if you're not going to take this seriously then forget it!" Katsuna exasperated frustratedly, retracting her palm swiftly.

"I'm leaving."

"Fine, fine," Karma sighed, letting go of the act as he jumped from his seat to grab hold of the girl's wrist.

"I'll agree to be your friend, just don't leave like that... okay?"

Katsuna flipped her focus back to the boy from the sudden change in tone; his teasing smirk now replaced with a slightly cherry cheeked expression as he fumbled with his red locks nervously.

This side of him was completely new to Katsuna, catching her off guard as she her cheeks bloomed pink.

_Cute._

"We should probably go too..." the raven head murmured, breaking the contact between the two as if something clicked inside of the boy which prompted him to let go of her wrist.

"Right," he replied shortly after, shaking his head to break free from the daze.

Awkwardly, both students collected their bags and began heading towards the door without uttering a word. Just as Katsuna reached for the handle, the two caught notice of slight giggling happening on the other side with the sound of someone hushing another quiet.

_They didn't..._

Immediately, Katsuna slid the door open, sending her eavesdropping classmates crashing backwards. Rubbing their heads rid of the pain, the students peered up apprehensively at their menacing friend who was barely containing her anger as the embarrassment washed over her.

"Just what do you think you're doing!" the raven head demanded heatedly with crossed arms, in an attempt to stop herself from strangling her sneaky classmates.

"S-Sorry Katsuna," Nagisa apologised sincerely, glancing over to the other student with a slight sigh.  
  


"I did try to pry them away, but they got too curious and... we kinda saw the whole thing..."

 _"Dammit..."_ Katsuna exhaled strongly, massaging her forehead as she processed the situation.

"Please don't kill us!" Kaede cried loudly, dropping to her knees and bowing in front of the raven head.

"I'd rather live to see tomorrow," Sugino whimpered, quickly following suit soon after the green haired girl.

"I-It's fine..." she replied hastily, their actions only furthering her already fiery embarrassment.

"J-Just get up before someone sees you or I might change my mind!"

The student's obliged swiftly, thankful that they got off without a scratch. Observing from previous experience, they knew their classmate was capable of much worse than just a small pinch. In a one on one fight, there would be no question on who would come out on bottom and who would strive to the top.

"You guys really are something," Karma chuckled from behind the raven head before reaching out to rub the top of the girl's head.

"This one couldn't hurt a fly if she tried."

"I'll end you!" Katsuna huffed aggressively, shooting the redhead a spiteful glare as she attempted to flatten down her now tangled hair.

"But we're friends now!" the devil responded with a cheeky wink.

"That's it, I'm abolishing the agreement, right here, right now!"

_"No takey backies!"_

"Bite me."

~~~~~

_"Come on-"_

"I already told you that I'm not going!" the raven head reiterated for the 14th million time, feeling her sanity gradually slip away.

"My books aren't going to study themselves."

_And there's still someone I have yet to beat._

"You're such a buzz kill," Karma whined like a golden retriever, throwing his hands behind his head.

"I thought friends were supposed to hang out together, or am I wrong?"

After separating from the others, the two students found themselves following the same path towards their houses. The well-established neighbourhood Karma grew up in was only 15-minute walk away from her own sleazy 1-bedroom apartment. With her usual route blocked due to a minor car crash, the raven head had no choice but to venture with the redhead by her side.

"Look, we're not getting-" Katsuna began before being rudely interrupted by the low grumble of her stomach betraying her words.

_Are you kidding me?_

_"So... you don't want to get something to eat hmmm~?"_ Karma cooed, leaning in closer to his flustered classmate whilst snickering under his hand.

"D-Don't get this wrong!" the girl stammered defensively, clenching her jaw.

"How am I not supposed to react that way with you bringing up the idea of food!"

"And there you go again with the excuses," the redhead muttered, blowing out a deep breath.

"You act as if I miss you eating those measly portioned lunches."

"They fill me up perfectly fine." she countered, silently begging her stomach to comply with her wishes.

The truth was, Katsuna was starving hungry. However, she was barely keeping up with the relentless payments for bills; her workplace only just managing to cover the remaining amount at the last moment. Unfortunately, with the way things were going at the moment, money for food was only ever an increasing problem. Going out to a fast food restaurant was a luxury she couldn't afford.

"If money's the problem, I can cover it," Karma offered nonchalantly, side eyeing the slight twitch in his classmate's expression, signalling that he had hit the mark.

"I'm not just about to leech off you like that," Katsuna retorted, scarcely stopping herself from jumping at the chance to eat free of charge.

"It's cute you care so much about me," the redhead ribbed, jabbing the girl lightly on her upper arm with his finger before being shoved away.

"But if you have some sort of complex about it, then just repay me with something other than money."

"Like what?" Katsuna questioned apprehensively, greatly tempted by the offer on the table.

"How about... a kiss!?" Karma suggested teasingly, tapping the side of his cheek with a wide stretched smirk.

"In your dreams Akabane!" the raven head exclaimed, aggressively pushing the boy away as her cheeks burned red.

_Why the heck is my heart pounding?_

"Jeez, I was only joking," Karma chuckled outwardly, swiftly placing up his guard just in time to block a harsh punch to the stomach.

"I don't know, just something- now can we please can some food cause' I think I'm close to turning cannibal and you're the only person I see right now."

Flipping her brain upside for any other excuses to throw at the persistent crimson headed classmate, Katsuna let out a defeated sigh, reluctantly nodding in agreement.

"Finally!" Karma cheered into the air, surprising the raven head by swiftly grabbing her hand.

_Wait-_

Without missing a beat, he began speeding towards the centre of town, leaving nothing but dust in his wake.

"C-Christ Karma, slow down!" Katsuna heaved, unable to catch her breath in the rushing wind.

_Shit... what did I just agree too?_

~~~~~

"Eat up!"

Katsuna peered down eagerly at the array of different foods compiled in front of her; a meal fit for a king or quite possibly two. An appetising ramen bowl containing succulent soft noodles swirling in a flavoursome broth of pork and veg, topped with a cut in half boiled egg sat temptingly to her left. Spicy chilli sauce surrounded by prawn tempuras was placed lovingly beside a plate filled with various coloured sushi and sauces. Little snacks and other sauces were dotted around these dishes; the smell immediately sending the girl into a trance as she salivated like a dog.

Not wanting to waste another second waiting, Katsuna dug into her meal like a hound, munching down on anything that caught her eye. Who knows when she could feast upon something like this again? Completely oblivious to her surroundings, Katsuna missed the red headed boy's staring.

"You really must have been dying to munch on something," Karma commented casually, resting his chin upon his hand.

"You should really be eating more."

"I can take care of myself," Katsuna shot, after swallowing a humongous mouthful of food.

"I just didn't want to pass up an opportunity like this."

"Yeah, yeah," the boy waved off, silently enjoying watching the girl wolf the dishes down in a blink of an eye.

"Just because you get to eat a lunch big enough to feed an army," Katsuna mumbled under her breath before shovelling another spoonful of delicious tastes into her mouth.

"Is it just me or do I sense some jealousy right now?" Karma smirked, popping a prawn into his chops.

"You bet you are," the raven head grunted in reply, nodding her head firmly with narrowed eyes.

"Well if that's the case, I guess I have no choice but to make you your own lunch using the leftovers, huh," he responded nonchalantly, diverting his gaze to the window beside the booth.

Katsuna spat out her drink in surprise, instantly turning her head to observing the redhead with questioning eyes.

"Did you just offer to make me lunch Akabane?" she ridiculed, a smug smile shaping itself on her lips.

_"It's adorable how you **care** so much about me."_

"Well what kind of _friend_ would I be if I didn't provide my apparently _much needed_ services," Karma countered promptly, returning his own complacent grin.

_"Or did you think this was going **further** than that?"_

"Touché," Katsuna exhaled with a cheery smile, going for another sip her fizzy beverage.

Just as her lips were about to touch the straw, an overwhelming feeling of dread tidal waved its way through the course of her body, locking her stomach up tight as she instantly became on high alert.

It was that feeling again.

**No mistake, someone was following her.**

"What's wrong?" Karma asked cautiously, noticing the change in the raven head's composure.

"I-" Katsuna began, before physically stopping herself.

Still in the dark about the situation at hand, telling someone could place them in immediate harm's way. She had to play it safe, making herself the only target.

"I need to go."

Scarcely keeping the icy chill at bay, she gathered up her belongings as quickly as she could before shooting up from her meal and speed walking to the exit.

"Wait!" Karma called out from behind her, having stood from the table in attempt to follow her but had been stopped by the waiter asking for him to pay for the meal.

Katsuna briefly stopped in her tracks, her panicked breathing yet to cease.

"You're in danger aren't you," the redhead stated, desperate to get through to her.

The raven head kept her back to the boy, but it was clear to him by the tremble in her shoulders that he'd guessed right.

"Let me help you; you don't have to do everything alone, remember?"

"That's what I'm-... that's what a friend is for."

Hesitating for a moment, Katsuna found his words incredibly tempting, like a dangling silver thread in a world where only darkness roams. Yet, she couldn't bear the thought of putting someone in danger and then risk losing them. It made her stomach churn, as if her guts were being pulled and squeezed by another being.

"I-I'm sorry..." Katsuna murmured, grasping hold of the door handle and shutting it behind her in a hurry.

"Dammit," Karma cursed under his breath, shoving the money into the waiters hand before taking after his troubled classmate.

Though, as soon as he stepped outside into the cool autumn breeze, it was clear that he'd been only moments too late. Katsuna was nowhere in sight; disappearing into the late evening dimness.

"Fuck!" the redhead cussed in frustration, kicking over the nearby trashcan in an attempt to release some of his angered worry.

_I don't even know where she lives._

~~~~~

Following her instincts with a fierce motive, Katsuna hastily raced in the direction of her flat, knowing that for some reason, the person who had been behind everything she was experiencing would be found there.

Midnight blue painted the sky with clouds swirling like spilled black ink in water. She could feel her heart throbbing inside her chest with her wheezing throat gasping for air. Despite the heaviness in her legs, Katsuna refused to slow down until she had reached her mark.

After fumbling with the keys to her apartment building, the rasping student sprinted up the stairs, missing a step between each jump as she ascended.

It was obvious by the time Katsuna had reached her floor that someone was inside. The door to her apartment which she made sure was securely locked after every venture out, was jarred open, swinging freely with an eery creak as if it was daring her to enter.

Mustering up enough courage to take a single step inside, Katsuna knew that there was no turning back.

Whoever was there knew of her presence.

Taking a deep breath in to calm her spiking nerves, Katsuna took a steady pace forward, down the dim light corridor and towards the living room where sound of clanking china could be heard.

_I have to reach that knife._

In case of situations like these, Katsuna had always kept a weapon close by, though she'd always imagined the attacker creeping up on her whilst sleeping, instead of waiting for her in her own home. Nonetheless, the raven head had taped a flip out dagger to the side of her futon for her own safety, which just so happened to be located in the same direction of the approaching opponent.

_Should I make a dash for it?_

Katsuna was stood against the wall at this point, the door to the living room just inches away from her. Attempting to regain control of her breaths, Katsuna searched her brain to formulate a somewhat successful plan.

_I can't... the likely hood of a hidden gun is too high of a risk._

_If they shoot me because of my rash movements, it'd be game over._

_Come on... think!_

_They strode into my territory without even so much of being discreet about it..._

_Either they are unbelievably stupid or..._

_They know for a fact that they can beat me._

_Either way, I have to tread lightly._

_For now,... it's best if I come peacefully and when the right moment strikes..._

_I'll retrieve the knife._

**"Are you finished?"**

The voice called out from inside the room, sending a shiver ran down Katsuna's spine, like a bolt of electricity.

_"You've kept me waiting long enough, I was starting to think you'd never show."_

An all too familiar tone; it was exactly as she remembered all those years ago.

Smoothly husky, deep and resonate; a tone that any other normal person would think was from a strikingly chivalrous young man with a princely personality like that out of a fairy tale. But to anyone that was as unfortunate to see his true self; they'd know that behind his seemingly charismatic words was a sadistic murderer with a tendency to torture his victims by carving up slices of their skin with his infamous knife wrapped with black string.

A tone from a man who knows he's completely in control.

With her adrenaline surging so fast she was afraid she'd vomit, blacked-out memories from her childhood re-emerged with the echoing eye-retching screams of the one person she loved most.

Something a child should never bear witness too.

Fighting every cell in her body telling her to run; Katsuna stepped out from the shadows with trembling hands and watered eyes, her thoughts confirmed by the thin lips curving into a sly smirk and equally thin eyes crinkled at the edges.

He had the kind of face that stopped you in your tracks. An almost perfectly symmetrical face with a slender rounded nose and dark grey eyes with flecks of silvery light that locked people in. His chiselled jaw was shaped like an upside triangle; his tousled starless black hair, thick and lustrous like a professional model. Fitted with a lean muscular build, the uninvited visitor had perched himself on a single flip out chair, grinning cunningly as he sipped on the hot drink in his grasp.

Unable to formulate any words, Katsuna could only stand there in the doorway, staring with widened eyes at the man who she'd been running from her entire life.

The calculated serial killer who had taken her mother's life all those years ago.

**_Uchibashi Rikumi._ **


	64. Unwanted Reunion

_He had the kind of face that stopped you in your tracks. An almost perfectly symmetrical face with a slender rounded nose and dark grey eyes with flecks of silvery light that locked people in. His chiselled jaw was shaped like an upside triangle; his tousled starless black hair, thick and lustrous like a professional model. Fitted with a lean muscular build, the uninvited visitor had perched himself on a single flip out chair, grinning cunningly as he sipped on the hot drink in his grasp._

_Unable to formulate any words, Katsuna could only stand there in the doorway, staring with widened eyes at the man who she'd been running from her entire life._

_The calculated serial killer who had taken her mother's life all those years ago._

**_Uchibashi Rikumi._ **

~~~~~

Instincts kick in first; the thread snapping.

Like a defenceless rabbit, Katsuna bolted to the left, running on unprocessed thoughts and survival impulses as she pressed her hand against the side of her futon, expecting the familiar object to grace her touch. Yet, to her horror, she was greeted with only loose fabric; her chances of protection slipping by the second.

**The knife was gone.**

In a blurred haze, the noise of muffled sniggering sounded from across the room, it's effect causing her stop dead still.

"I have to say, it's almost comical you relied on such a dainty weapon to protect yourself with," Uchibashi ridiculed, the smirk clear in his tone.

Craning her neck back, Katsuna's shaken gaze fell on the glinting knife flipping through the man's fingers.

Her knife.

"What's the harm in a little catch up; after all, I did put a lot of effort into tracking you down."

"So, it was you who's been following me," Katsuna glowered, attempting to think back to the previous instances.

"Wait... you haven't-!"

"Harmed your ohsoprecious friends... no," Uchibashi finished with a bored look, tucking the knife into his waist coat pocket.

"However, depending on how things are carried out, that may have to change in the near future."

 _"I won't let you..."_ Katsuna growled like a guard dog, feeling her temper rise at the statement as her classmates smiling faces dipped into view.

"How amusing," he murmured, curling the corner of his lip upwards as his fingers found themselves resting on his chin.

"You really believe you have the strength to stand up against me?"

"I-" the raven head began before stopping herself short as an overwhelming aura of pressure rapidly swarmed her senses.

Instinctively, Katsuna's fingers began clawing at the hand twisted around her neck, the grip tightening with every moment that slipped by. In a blink of an eye, Uchibashi had her firmly pushed up against the wall; a burning empty look dangerously swirling in his unwavering stare. Her external struggle only seemed to encourage the sadist more as he crouched in front of the Katsuna's gasping form without faltering.

"I'm not in the mood for a fight right now," he whispered into her ear, ignoring the girl's aggressive but futile kicks as she attempted to escape him.

"But if you insist, I may just be up for it."

Katsuna spat a sideways glare at the man, drawing blood on his wrists as her nails scratched at the skin for dear life.

"But," Uchibashi continued, his furthering squeeze sparking an eye piercing strangled scream.

"You don't actually think you can get a hit in, do you?"

Katsuna's head began to spin as she attempted to suck in any surrounding oxygen. The ache in her lungs was now numbing, her hands losing the energy to fight off the enemy. No doubt, if she had been placed in front of a mirror, the sight of her face having turned a sickly colour would be present... that's if her blackening eyesight allowed her.

Just as she felt the last pieces of her life slip away, he released his threatening hold, leaving Katsuna hunched over, spluttering onto the floor boards below. A rush of air entered her lungs, causing her to feel almost faint as she attempted to collect herself.

Casting a shadow over her sunken form, Uchibashi roughly kicked Katsuna to the side, exposing her pale face whilst also gaining her hazy attention.

"I came to tell you something you'll want to hear today," he remarked pitifully, down casting his gaze to the girl by his feet.

"A reward of sorts for capturing that loud mouth moron; which in the end saved me the wasted effort of doing it myself."

_Is he talking about... Akira Takaoka?_

_I was right.. his death wasn't a suicide._

"You've crossed paths with the masked man that calls himself Shiro, haven't you?" Uchibashi inquired, watching the girl's twitch at the name.

"What are you trying to say?" Katsuna scowled, her bloodshot eyes looking up questioningly at the man.

"Does this have something to do with why you showed up there that night?"

Uchibashi turned his back on her, ignoring the questions thrown his way.

"I'm sure you realise that he will return," he spoke, lowering his tone.

"With every failed attempt, his impatience grows and he poses a more liable threat."

_Is this... a warning?_

"Why would I believe you, you have done nothing by take everything that is close to me," Katsuna grimaced, narrowing her eyes into piercing slits.

"Shiro, or better known as Doctor Kotaro Yanagisawa initially served as a valued chief scientist, working on a project that involved trying to create anti-matter without massive energy requirements, by generating it in a living body," Uchibashi revealed, the information behind the masked man's identity tempting Katsuna's curiosity.

"He's the one that created that freak of a teacher you call Koro-sensei."

Seeing the dots connecting in her head, Katsuna began to gain a clearer insight on the hidden motive behind Shiro's persistent attempts. His drive went far beyond just the reward money; no doubt the man feels as if he has a personal vendetta to destroy what he had created.

Though, there's still so much that is missing.

"You're not making any sense," Katsuna retaliated in a whisper like state, desperately needing an explanation... some sort of answer to make clear of his behaviour.

_No.. it wasn't supposed to turn out like this._

"You have no right to come here and act like a hero..."

_He's the enemy!_

"Not after all this time..."

"Not after all you've done!"

**"I will not explain myself to a child who can't accept the world she lives in."**

The statement caught Katsuna off guard as she lifted her wide-eyed expression up towards the lean figure. Not only was she confused by his choice of words in that moment of slowed time, but the tone in which he spoke; distanced and alone like a man smothered in a type of darkness where even the harsh rays of the sun in mid-summer won't dare shine.

Without a doubt, the effect had left her momentarily speechless.

"That one sided story has led you to harvest a sense of revenge against me; resenting the natural killer instinct that harbours inside of you; how pathetic."

"You lack strength to stand up against those who wish you harm because of your childish mind, not bothering to grow up and push yourself into your full potential."

Running a hand through his hair, Uchibashi paused for a moment, composed as ever.

"And like I said before, I am only returning the favour."

"Open your eyes to what really happened that night; for I am certainly not clean of blood, however that women wasn't innocent by any means either."

 _"How dare you..."_ Katsuna trembled with anger, finally finding the courage to speak once more with trembling hands.

"Spouting lies like that; you expect me to place even a single doubt in the one that showed me nothing but love and chose to save me in the end instead of herself?"

_That's right..._

_If I hadn't been born, she'd still be alive._

"You say I'm in denial, yet you don't take responsibility for murdering the only person that could have loved you once more, if you had just returned something so simple as affection."

A stifling moment of silence passed by before a heavy sigh carried through the room. Collecting his jacket of the side of the chair he muttered something that was too quiet to hear.

Upon turning back around to face the girl, he slammed his shoe down onto the middle point of her foot, irrefutably rupturing the soft tissue as Katsuna let out a scream of pain. As she began cradling her damaged limb, Uchibashi dropped back down into a crouch just beside her, causing Katsuna to bite down on her inner cheek.

"I suggest you start paying attention to the truth about what really happened and decide for yourself what path you'll follow," he stated coldly with an unreadable expression.

Katsuna stayed on the floor as Uchibashi stood up from his position, the previous spike of pain now numbed into non-existence. Her gaze was rooted to a single spot on the floor, unmoving, unwavering.

"I only applied minor damage to your foot, in the case that you decide to follow me out," he disclosed, faltering at the door's exit.

"It will be back to full strength in around 2 weeks; I suggest you rethink Lovro's request and train with him in preparation for your next fight."

**"You're far too weak for what's to come."**

~~~~~

".... Government officials finally reveal the escape of serial killer Uchibashi Rikumi after several months... embarrassment for the police force...any information regarding this man, please report to your local police station immediately-"

Disgusted by the world, Katsuna slammed her laptop lid close, cutting of the news lady reporting the case of the missing convict. Subconsciously tracing her purpled neck, the raven head stared blankly at the wall in front of her, unable to order her jumbled thoughts of unanswered questions.

A day had passed by already since the encounter with her father. She'd given up on sleeping the previous night; resorting to scrolling through article after article until the news hit. Since then, the media had created a frenzy surrounding the investigation, placing the police on the firing line as the head chief swallowed question after question with no apparent answer.

_As if they could do anything anyway._

Uchibashi Rikumi, formerly a charming respected aristocrat who's money could buy him out of any situation. A man who had swooned many hearts, including the gorgeous and plenty rich Chika Akashi. They had been seen as a fairy-tale couple; their love 'unbreakable' as the news coverage reported of the marriage. However, after his wife went missing, it was reported he had went off the grid, finally turning up at the scene of a crime.

**His wife's murder.**

Katsuna had made sure to find out everything she could about the incident, remembering the clenched feeling in her throat vividly as she gazed upon a picture of her father's face for the first time. She recalled immediately feeling unsettled at the resemblance in her own complexion compared to his, undoubtedly confirming he connection.

**He was her father.**

What had interested her at the time was the fact that in no news article did it mention her mother having been pregnant at the time of her disappearance. It was understandable that she would have remained quiet about it, yet there was still no revelation even as time passed and the knowledge of her death had now became old news.

This was only the start of the unanswered questions.

"How does he know so much... even about Lovro's request," Katsuna mumbled frustratingly to herself, finding her eyes tracing the coffee coloured stains on the ceiling.

"And Mum... why am I now having doubts?"

_Dammit... I'm just as clueless as the police._

Caving into the sounds of aggressive rumbles provided by her empty stomach, Katsuna picked herself up from the floor and limped towards the kitchen, side stepping the slight faint feeling as she moved. Wrapping her bare shoulders tightly with the worn blanket, she surveyed the scant shelves of her fridge, letting out a small sigh as the thought of buying something from the convenience store crossed her mind.

Another impatient grumble sounded through the desolate room followed with a hard punch to the abdomen. Choosing to avoid the venture outside and instead collapsed onto the futon, she pulled the covers over her head, feeling the effects of her overthinking settling in the form of a headache.

Katsuna groaned heavily at the now throbbing pain, squeezing her eyes shut to distract herself. She thought she could hear a ringing sound in the distance but it was too hard to tell if it was just her or the door.

 _"Great..."_ Katsuna slurred sarcastically, laying helplessly as her vision began to become blurry.

A blinding orange light burst into her view, followed with another thump as if someone had dropped something on the floor nearby. As her covers were lifted, Katsuna could have sworn she saw a glimpse of crimson hair before her vision completely faded to black.


End file.
